Explosives in UP Assembly: PAC teams to be deployed

Lucknow: UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has sought a probe by the National Investigation Agency after forensic examination revealed that a white powder packet found inside the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday was actually a deadly explosive called PETN (Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate).

The Chief Minister and then the Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit announced new security rules for the Assembly complex. 

The Chief Minister said police verification of all employees of the Assembly would not be mandatory. He said that since the matter was serious, he would seek a NIA probe into the incident so that the culprit could be identified and punished.

Mr Yogi also regretted that despite being the Assembly of the biggest state in the country, the UP Vidhan Sabha, did not have a quick response team “This reflects the complacency of the governments on the issue of safety and security of over 500 legislators”, he said.

 

Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit ratified Mr Yogi’s demand for a NIA probe and said that QRT and PAC teams would be stationed on every gate of the Vidhan Sabha. Full body scanners and baggage scanners would also be set up at entry points. Anti-Terror Squad teams would be allowed access into the Assembly complex.

He said all passes, except those of employees and MLAs were being cancelled and legislators would henceforth be allowed passes for only one vehicles and the driver of the vehicle would be verified by the MLA.

Passes of ex-legislators were also being cancelled and mobile phones have also been banned for legislators. Leader of Opposition R.G. Chau-dhary said they accepted the security measures.