Parliament attack: How jihadis attacked India's temple of democracy

13 December 2001, The day when India's symbol of democracy—Parliament - was attacked by the enemies of humanity.Although it was an unsuccessful attempt to storm the Parliament complex.,the attack left a trail of evidence behind, that pointed towards our neighbouring country. Five gunmen infiltrated the Parliament House in a car with fake Home Ministry and Parliament labels. While both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha had been adjourned 40 minutes prior to the incident, many Members of Parliament (MPs) and government officials such as the then Home Minister LK Advani and the then Minister of State for Defence Harin Pathak were inside the building at the time of the attack. The gunmen rammed their vehicle into the car of Indian Vice President Krishan Kant (who was inside Parliament House at that time), got out, and began firing from their weapons.The Vice President's guards and security personnel replied with fire at the terrorists and then started closing the gates of the compound. Constable Kamlesh Kumari was the first to spot the terrorist squad. One gunman, wearing a suicide vest, was shot dead; the vest exploded. The other four gunmen were also killed. Five policemen, a Parliament security guard, and a gardener were killed, and 18 others were injured. No minister or any MP was hurt. That was because, in order to stop the terrorists from entering the Parliament House, the main gate was immediately closed by a brave security guard.The assailants were equipped with dry fruits, indicating that they intended to take ministers and MPs hostage, just like the Kandhar Indian Airlines plane hijack and the Hazratbal siege in Kashmir.The attack triggered extensive and effective investigations which revealed possible involvement of four accused namely Mohammad Afzal, Shaukat Hussain Guru and S.A.R. Gilani and Navjot Sandhu a.k.a. Afsan Guru. Some other proclaimed offenders said to be e leaders of the banned militant organization known as Jaish-i-Mohammed were also involved. Mohammad Afzal Guru, the main accused in this attack was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court in 2004. His execution is still awaited as his appeal for clemency is lying with the President. The others were acquitted for lack of evidence and shoddy investigation.Our security personnel did not let any of the terrorists enter the Parliament house. They sacrificed their lives in order to save the temple of democracy. Had even one of those terrorists succeeded in entering the House, it would have been a shame for Indian security forces. The attack turned international opinion against Pakistan with parallels being drawn with 9/11. India deployed its army across the Pakistan border under Operation Parakram, and Pakistan also deployed its army on the other side, resulting in a tense eyeball-to-eyeball scenario. Eleven years later, India might have managed to put the state sponsor of terror tag on Pakistan, but little has changed. Family members of the martyrs are still in despair as to why the guilty has not been punished as yet. Afzal Guru, the main convict was scheduled to be hanged on 20 October 2006, but his execution was stayed and he continues to remain on death row. With the death penalty handed to Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab, the speculations are that Afzal Guru is next in line.Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had stated earlier this week that files pertaining to mercy pleas of Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru and six others will be looked into after the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament is over.