The Mysuru-based engineering graduate Manoranjan, 33, and his parents expressed shock and severe condemnation at their son's act of breaching security at the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, December 13. Although they both agreed that their son's behavior was wrong, mother Shylaja, a homemaker, and father Devaraj, a farmer, praised their son for his politeness. Mr. Devaraj claimed, "My son has never harmed anybody," when speaking with reporters outside his home in Mysuru's Vijayanagar II stage. "He had a strong interest in social work and enjoyed reading a lot," he stated.
In reference to his son acquiring a permit into the visitors' gallery of the Lok Sabha from member Pratap Simha, Mr. Devaraj stated that they were supporters of the BJP MP from Mysuru. "Even I get along well with Mr. Simha," he asserted. Pratap Simha said that his son had granted him a pass to enter the Lok Sabha for a good reason, thus it was not fair to criticize him for it. Declaring that the establishment of an institution such as the Parliament was the brainchild of national heroes like Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi, Mr. Devaraj vowed to oppose his son's incursion into the "temple" of democracy.
Concurrently, the Congress party in Mysuru denounced the security lapse in the Parliament and staged a demonstration in front of Mr. Simha's office on Wednesday night.
