Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays homage to martyrs who lost their lives in 2001 Parliament attack to mark its 19th anniversary, at Parliament House in New Delhi, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020.
Sunday, December 13, will mark 19 years since the deadly attack on Parliament by terrorist groups linked to Pakistan. The deadly Parliament attack was conducted by five terrorists -- who belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The terrorists were heavily armed and were carrying explosive belt and had planned to take several MPs and politicians as hostages. Senior Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) leader LK Advani who was then the home minister called the attack “the most audacious, and also the most alarming, act of terrorism”.
What happened on the day of attack:
On the morning of December 13, 2001 five terrorists entered Parliament House Complex around 11:40 am in an Ambassador car fitted with a red light and a forged Home Ministry sticker on the car’s windshield. As the car moved towards Building Gate No. 12, one of the members of the Parliament House Watch and Ward Staff became suspicious.
When the car was forced to turn back, it hit then Vice President Krishan Kant’s vehicle, after which the terrorists got down and opened fire. By this time, an alarm was raised, and all the building gates were closed. In the ensuing firing that lasted around 40 minutes, five Delhi Police personnel, a woman Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper, two Parliament staff and a gardener were killed along with five terrorists.
As soon as the attack began, the Parliament was adjourned for the day with some 100 leaders, politicians and staffs stuck inside the building.
What happened after the attack?
The attack triggered extensive and effective investigations which revealed possible involvement of four accused. Within days, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police arrested four individuals who were tracked down with the help of leads relating to the car used and cellphone records. These were: Mohammad Afzal Guru, a former Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) militant who had surrendered in 1994, his cousin Shaukat Husain Guru, Shaukat’s wife Afsan Guru, and S A R Geelani, a lecturer of Arabic at Delhi University.
Afzal Guru was kept in police remand while the trial court acquitted Afsan and sentenced Geelani, Shaukat and Afzal to death. Afzal Guru’s execution took place 11 years later.
In 2003, Geelani was acquitted. In 2005, the Supreme Court upheld Afzal’s death sentence, but commuted Shaukat’s sentence to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. On September 26, 2006, the court ordered that Afzal Guru be hanged.
19 years of attack:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid tributes to personnel of the security forces who lost their lives in the dastardly attack. Paying his tribute, the Prime Minister said that the country will never be able to forget the cowardly attack that left nine security personnel dead. "We recall the valour and sacrifice of those who lost their lives protecting our Parliament. India will always be thankful to them."
Apart from PM Modi, several other leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, also paid tributes to the martyrs of the Parliament attack on its 19th anniversary. So as the country observes the 19th anniversary of the Parliament attack, let's us recount what happened on that dreadful day.
