Indian Parliament security breach: What are colour gas canisters? Are they dangerous?

Two people disrupted the Indian Parliament on Wednesday (Dec 13) as they set off a smoke canister inside the legislature in a major security breach. They jumped onto the floor of the Lower House of the Parliament from an overhead visitors' gallery. They were carrying canisters which started emitting yellow smoke, which led to chaos in the House.

The footage of the incident went viral on social media platforms. The video showed a man jumping over desks in the House but was later caught by some of the MPs, who beat him black and blue.

Meanwhile, the other man emitted a dense veil of smoke from the visitors' gallery, which left the Lok Sabha partially covered in yellowish smoke.

What are colour gas canisters?

The shocking incident happened on the Parliament attack anniversary - a day that observes the terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001. Six Delhi Police officers, two Parliament Security Service officers, and a gardener were killed in the incident carried out by five armed gunmen. Security forces killed all five of the attackers.

The latest security breach led to a similar fear nationwide as people tried to understand the gravity of the situation. People across the nation were intrigued to know whether or not these smoke cans, also known as smoke bombs, are dangerous to life.

The smoke cans are available in retail markets and are often used during military operations. Common people also use them during celebrations, sporting events, photoshoots, and more.

Are they dangerous?

The smoke bombs consist of a sheet steel cylinder with four emission holes on top and one on the bottom to allow smoke release when the grenade is ignited. The filler consists of 250 to 350 gmof coloured smoke composition (mostly potassium chlorate, lactose, and a dye) in virtually any colour.

Since they are also used by common people, they are not termed dangerous but the smoke may irritate the eyes and nose in case they are exposed.

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What was the motive behind the incident?

The police in New Delhi haven't released any details on the incident and the motives of the pair and how they managed to evade security checks were unclear. Both men, who were inside the House, were arrested.

Parliament resumed after a brief adjournment, with speaker Om Birla telling the lawmakers that four people had been arrested for the disruption. He said, "Both persons have been arrested and two others outside have also been arrested."

Birla said that the parliament was "carrying out a thorough probe and the Delhi police too had been given necessary directions". He also added that "there was nothing to worry about" and assured lawmakers that the smoke was not hazardous to human health.

(With inputs from agencies)