Following the furore over video recording the security apparatus at Parliament House and posting it on social media by AAP MP Bhagwant Mann, the home ministry will review the security of the entire co
Following the furore over video recording the security apparatus at Parliament House and posting it on social media by AAP MP Bhagwant Mann, the home ministry will review the security of the entire complex. The ministry is expected to upgrade the existing electronic surveillance system for all individuals, including MPs and vehicle entering the complex.
Security at Parliament House had been completely revamped following the attack in 2001 and a similar exercise is likely to be carried out now. The ministry could suggest upgrading of under vehicle surveillance system (UVSS) and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in the Parliament complex. The UVSS delivers the full picture of a vehicle’s entire width and length and the RFID identifies and tracks tags attached to objects and individuals.
Senior ministry officials claimed there was an urgent need to review and upgrade the security arrangements for the entire Parliament complex. Security experts feel that by shooting the security arrangements right from Vijay Chowk till the main gate of Parliament House, the AAP MP had exposed and compromised the security apparatus.
Mr Mann, in his video, had shown how many layers of security a car with MP tag passes through from Vijay Chowk to the main entrance of the building. “Mr Mann’s video a gives clear view of the way till the main entrance. In the video, the positions of Parliament security men, quick reaction teams, UVSS and how long it takes a vehicle to reach the destination etc., are clearly shown,’’ the ministry official said.
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had set up a committee two years ago which was headed by former Union home secretary and MP from Bihar R.K. Singh to look into the security of Parliament complex. The committee had Satyapal Singh, MP from Uttar Pradesh and former Mumbai police commissioner, and Harish Chandra Meena, MP from Rajasthan and formerly the state’s DGP, as its members.
The committee had found gaps in the system put in place for the protection of the sensitive complex, with nearly 100 of the 450 CCTV cameras not functioning, besides other lacunae. The report, submitted to Ms Mahajan with a copy marked to the home ministry, had suggested enhanced security at 12 gates in the Parliament complex.
