New Delhi:
The attack on the Parliament of India two decades ago had shaken not only the entire country but also the world. The attack, carried out by terrorists from the Pakistan-based terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), forced the Indian government and security agencies to think about what strategy to adopt.
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Even after two decades, the leaders of the terrorists who plotted this attack are still roaming freely in Pakistan.
On December 13, 2001, India’s parliament was attacked by terrorists. The security personnel at the Parliament had risked their lives to thwart the attack.
The security personnel had engaged in an encounter with the JeM terrorists for 45 minutes and finally, all the terrorists were killed. The attack was carried out by five terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
The Parliament was chosen for the attack because the terrorists wanted to show that they could do strike anywhere.
The target of the
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)
terrorists who attacked the Parliament was to enter the main building of the Parliament and target the MPs present there, but they could not succeed. All the terrorists were killed by the security forces outside the Parliament. Five Delhi Police personnel, a female CRPF constable and two Parliament guards were also killed in the attack. Besides, a total of 16 soldiers and policemen were injured.
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Parliament was in session on the day this attack was carried out and most of the MPs were present in the House. There was a commotion in Parliament that day over the coffin scandal. Due to this, both the Houses of Parliament had to be adjourned for some time. PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sonia Gandhi had also left for their homes before the attack. However, the then Home Minister LK Advani was still in the Parliament House.
Shortly afterwards, 5
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)
terrorists approached the Parliament building in a white ambassador car. This car also had a sticker of the Home Ministry. The vehicle broke through the barricade at the main entrance of Parliament and reached the premises of Parliament at around 11:29 AM.
As soon as the
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)
terrorists got out of the car, all five of them started firing from their AK-47 rifles. The MPs and other personnel present in the Parliament at that time had mistakenly thought as if someone was firing firecrackers, but soon reality dawned.
The security personnel immediately took the front and closed the gate of entry into the house. All the terrorists were killed in the face-to-face encounter.
The main accused in the attack, Afzal Guru, was arrested by the Delhi Police. He had also undergone terrorist training in Pakistan. He was sentenced to death by the Delhi High Court in 2002 and the Supreme Court upheld the verdict in 2006.
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On the morning of February 9, 2013, Afzal Guru was hanged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail after his mercy petition was rejected by then President Pranab Mukherjee.
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