The father of Sagar Sharma, one of the accused in the Parliament security breach case has claimed that his son was influenced by a friend from Bengaluru to undertake the disruptive act.
The father, Roshan Lal Sharma, said that despite the family's efforts to dissuade Sagar, the e-rickshaw driver seemed determined to make a significant statement of sorts.
"He talked about doing something big," his father revealed, adding that Sagar’s sister had discovered him planning something with his Bengaluru friend over the phone.
Roshan Lal Sharma said that he had warned his son against any actions that could bring shame to the family, but his pleas went unheeded.
"He has been brainwashed by his Bengaluru-based friend," the father claimed, calling for punishment for those at fault.
Sagar’s father said his son is an admirer of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and had been expressing discontent with the government.
Incidentally, police sources said on Thursday that during questioning, the accused disclosed that they got to know each other through the 'Bhagat Singh Fan Club' on social media.
Meanwhile, Sagar's mother came out in his defense and said, "My son is not like this."
Before leaving for Delhi, Sagar had assured his mother that he would return in two days.
Sagar’s maternal uncle insisted that the young man was deceived by his friends and with tears in his eyes, called on the government to thoroughly probe the friends' involvement in the security breach case.
Following the security breach in the Lok Sabha, Sagar Sharma’s family is now under the scanner of security agencies. They are being questioned by a four-member team of the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and a five-member team of the State Intelligence Bureau.
“We were questioned yesterday and instructed not to leave our district or state,” Sagar’s father stated.
The UP ATS team is looking into suspicions that Sagar Sharma may have had ties with the Communist Party of India (Maoist) modules in Bengaluru and Rajasthan, sources said.
(Except for the headline, this story, from a syndicated feed, has not been edited by Odishatv.in staff)