Lok Sabha Panel to Revisit Spots, Trail The Route Followed by Bhagwant Mann

New Delhi: A Lok Sabha panel, looking into the Bhagwant Mann Parliament videography issue, will on Thursday revisit all the spots and trail the route followed by the AAP MP to find out if there were chinks in the security apparatus.

The nine-member panel was today granted two more weeks by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, after panel chairman Kirit Somaiya sought more time saying more witnesses were needed to be examined and certain critical issues to be probed in depth.

"The panel members will tomorrow revisit the spots and trail the route captured by Mann in his video and will see if there are any chinks in the security and if steps were required to beef it up," Somaiya said.

He said the video captured by Mann was a serious issue and the panel members will see if any steps are to be taken to plug any loopholes in the security of Parliament. Mahajan said Somaiya has submitted that in view of the gravity of the matter, the unanimous view among members of the committee was that for doing justice to the panel's remit, it needed some more time.

The panel was set up to probe into the incident of serious breach of security of the Parliament House by the "improper conduct" of Mann by videographing and posting critical footage of Parliament House complex on social media.

The Committee was requested to submit its report not later than August 3, but the Speaker gave extension of two weeks with effect from August 4. In view of seriousness of matter, the AAP MP from Sangrur has been advised not to attend the sittings of the House until a decision is taken.

Sources said the Committee is wanting to give more time to Mann to admit his mistake and express his apologies. Mann has not given an unconditional apology before the panel and struck a defiant note instead by claiming that he has not done any wrong and would do so again.

On Monday, a defiant Mann told the panel that he has not breached the security of Parliament complex. Last week, in a five-page letter, Mann had refused to tender an unqualified apology.

This, the sources said, has peeved many members of the panel and wanted more time to recommend action against Mann. Besides Somaiya, the panel has two BJP members--Meenakshi Lekhi and Satyapal Singh. The others are Anandrao Adsul (Shiv Sena), B Mahtab (BJD), Ratna De (TMC), Thota Narasimham (TDP), K C Venugopal (Cong) and P Venugopal (AIADMK).