Security scare at Delhi Assembly after SUV breaches gate, three held
A masked man drove an SUV into the Delhi Assembly premises, placed a bouquet near the Speaker’s office and fled, triggering a security scare. Police detained three people, seized the vehicle and launched an investigation after a thorough security sweep
New Delhi: In a major security breach at the Delhi Assembly, a masked man drove an SUV through one of the boundary gates, placed a flower bouquet outside the Speaker’s office and fled, triggering a high alert on Monday afternoon. Police later detained three people, including the driver, and seized the vehicle from north Delhi.
Multiple police teams, along with a bomb disposal squad, rushed to the site and conducted a thorough sweep of the area to rule out any threat, a police officer said.
The car, bearing an Uttar Pradesh registration number, entered the Assembly premises after breaking through Gate No. 2 at around 2 pm, officials said.
Since it is not the main gate, security is relatively less around it when the House is not in session, according to sources.
“The driver proceeded towards the office of Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta and placed a flower bouquet near the porch before rushing out in his vehicle,” said a Delhi Secretariat official.
The incident raised “serious” security concerns, with authorities treating it as a potential security breach, he said.
Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Ravindra Yadav reached the site soon after the incident and supervised the investigation.
Yadav said police checked CCTV camera footage in and around the area to reconstruct the sequence of events. Police teams were formed to track down the vehicle and its occupants, and alerts were flashed to adjoining states, with details of the suspected car shared with local police units.
Later, police apprehended three people, including the driver.
“Three people have been detained. The car was recovered and the accused were caught in north Delhi,” a police officer said.
Meanwhile, forensic experts examined the flower bouquet that was allegedly kept inside the Assembly premises. The bomb disposal squad and dog squad conducted a thorough sweep of the area to rule out any explosive threat.
The incident comes close on the heels of bomb threats received by the Assembly during the recently concluded budget session.