New Delhi: Photos of Indian freedom fighters, including Bhagat Singh, Subhas Chandra Bose and Chandrashekhar Azad; quotes by Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro and American socialist and labour activist Albert Parsons; images and videos from the farmers’ protests; and visuals depicting the plight of MGNREGA workers — these are the content shared on social media by three of the five individuals accused in the Parliament breach, over the last two years.
Yesterday, Lalit Jha posted a video on Instagram of two people — Neelam Singh (Neelam Azad on social media) and Amol Shinde — chanting “Jai Bhim”, “Jai Bharat”, and “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, while releasing coloured gas from canisters outside Parliament.
“My name is Neelam. This Government of India is committing atrocities against us. We are unable to speak for our rights; the Police resort to lathi-charging, arrests and torture. We had no means to voice our rights. We are not affiliated with any association or groups. We are common people; we are students. We are unemployed,” Neelam Singh, 42, shouted while being apprehended by the Police yesterday.
Sagar Sharma
Sagar Sharma, an e-rickshaw driver from Lucknow’s Alambagh, left his family in shock. “I am shocked to see all this. My son is not like this. I can’t believe he could do something like this,” expressed Sagar’s mother, Rani Sharma, stating that he is not associated with any political party.
“He had said that he is going to Delhi for a protest. We didn’t ask him much,” added his sister, Mahi Sharma. His father is a carpenter and the family resides in a rented house in Lucknow.
Neelam Singh
Neelam Singh from Ghaso Khurd village in Haryana’s Jind was studying for civil services entrance exams in Hisar. “Neelam is my sister. We did not know she was in Delhi. We thought she was in Hisar for studies,” said her younger brother. Neelam, being highly qualified was unemployed and had participated in farmers’ protests.
Amol Shinde
Amol Shinde (25), from Maharashtra’s Latur, informed his parents that he was going to Delhi for an army recruitment drive. A BA graduate from Zari village in Chakur Tehsil, Shinde, belonging to a Scheduled Caste community, did odd jobs as a daily wager while preparing for Police and army recruitment exams.
Vicky Sharma and wife
The fifth and sixth accused, Vicky Sharma and his wife from Gurugram, had unstable job situations. Although nothing suspicious was initially suspected, sources revealed that Vicky was known for assaulting his wife and abusing neighbours. Both have been detained by the Police.
Lalit Jha
The seventh accused, Lalit Jha, remains absconding. According to Police, all the accused stayed in Gurugram at Vicky’s house. All six reportedly wanted to enter the Lok Sabha, but only two managed to procure passes.
The Police have not yet traced the mobile phones of any of the accused. The authorities are investigating whether the accused received instructions from anyone or any organisation.
This post was published on December 14, 2023 7:39 pm