Manoranjan’s used father’s links to get Parliament visitor passes for him, Sagar Sharma

MYSURU, HASSAN: For the second day after Manoranjan D was arrested for intruding into Lok Sabha and bursting a smoke canister, creating a security scare, Intelligence Bureau officials visited his residence at Vijayanagar here and questioned the family members.

The IB officials checked his room and collected information about his background and those he was in touch with. Internal Security Division Deputy SP Virupakshappa was among the officials who visited Manoranjan’s house.

Police personnel deployed near Manoranjan’s house.

According to sources, the IB officials gathered information about the other accused Sagar Sharma’s stay at Manoranjan’s house. The sources said Sagar had stayed at Manoranjan’s house on two occasions and also had food there. Manoranjan did not interact much with family members and would indulge in reading books.

To secure visitor passes from Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha’s Delhi office, Manoranjan used his father Devaraje Gowda’s links and had taken Sagar Sharma along with him on Tuesday afternoon. He introduced Sagar as a colleague and requested that a visitor pass be issued in his name only stating that Sagar wanted to keep it as a souvenier.

Manoranjan had also visited the old Parliament building alone earlier and had secured a visitor pass from Pratap Simha’s office then too. But he had neve met the MP even once. The police are now looking into his links in Bengaluru and he had distanced himself from his friends in Mysuru over the last 5-6 years. Manoranjan did not have any social media account in his name and police suspect that he may have been using another account through which he got in touch with people from north India.

The police have no information about Manoranjan participating in any protest and there is no case registered against him anywhere. He was not even associated with any organisation. Police personnel have been deployed near his house since Wednesday.

Manoranjan’s father Devaraje Gowda refused to speak to the media on Thursday.

Manoranjan’s mother Shylaja H S has not stepped out of the house since Wednesday. The father, Devaraje Gowda a.k.a. Devaraj D, on Thursday refused to speak much saying that his wife is a heart patient and added that Manoranjan himself is answerable for his actions.

Meanwhile, at Manoranjan’s hometown Mallapura in Arkalgud taluk of Hassan district, local vented ire at him for bringing a bad name to the village. They also said that he should be punished for his action in the Lok Sabha.

Devaraje Gowda’s farm at Mallapura in Arkalgud taluk.

“Manoranjan has never visited the village and we haven’t even seen him. Devaraje Gowda lost his mother at a young age. He moved to Bengaluru to provide a better future for his son, but this is how the son repaid the father”, they said, venting their anger.

Devaraje Gowda, a farmer, and his family moved to Mysuru 35 years ago for his son’s education and he owns about nine acres of farmland in Mallapura. He keeps visiting the village regularly. His mother Basamma hails from the village and was married to Bhadre Gowda of Benglauru and they had settled in the village.