President, Prime Minister Narendra led the nation in paying tributes to the security personnel who laid down their lives fighting terrorists during the 2001 Parliament attack, reports Ujwal Jalali
Twenty years ago, Parliament, the supreme legislative body of the India, witnessed a dastardly terror attack that shook the conscience of the country to its core. The horror of the day, December 13, 2001, is still fresh in the minds of the people of the country.
Five terrorists of the Pakistan-based militant groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) infiltrated the premises in a White Ambassador bearing fake stickers of the Home Ministry and Parliament itself.
It would not be wrong to say that at the time, the security system at Parliament was as stringent as it is today.
Carrying AK47 rifles, grenade launchers, pistols and grenades, the terrorists breached through security cordons deployed around Parliament complex. As they further drove the car inside, one of the staff members, Constable Kamlesh Kumari Yadav, became suspicious of their movement.
Yadav was the first security official to approach the terrorists’ car and, realising something suspicious, ran back to her post to seal the gate no 1 where she was posted. With their cover effectively blown, the terrorists opened fire on Yadav and fired at her 11 times.
Yadav died on the spot, averting a suicide bomber among the terrorists to execute his plan.
After killing Yadav, the terrorists moved forward, firing indiscriminately. The horror lasted for about 30 minutes during which a total of nine people were killed and 18 others injured.
All the five terrorists were also neutralised outside the building itself.
The anti-terror unit of the Delhi Police — Special Cell — which was set up in 1986 to prevent, detect and investigate cases of terrorism, organised crime and other serious offences in the national capital, took charge of the investigation.
Recalling memories of the 20-year-old terror attack, the then Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Chand said that he was at the office of the Special Cell when the carnage occurred.
“As soon as we received information, I rushed with my team to Parliament,” Chand said, adding that when he reached the spot, the attack was still going on.
“The situation had not normalised, it was still fluid and by that time other teams of Special Cell also reached there,” he said.
In next few minutes, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel neutralised all the terrorists. Notably, the CRPF battalion posted at Parliament during the time of the attack had just returned from Jammu and Kashmir.
“So they were prepared for such unforeseen events and knew how to react,” said another officer privy to the development.
Though it was the extreme bravery of the security forces to quickly contain the situation, the Watch and Ward staff of Parliament, too, played a vital role in saving several lives.
“The Watch and Ward staff immediately after the attack began, closed all the doors of the Parliament building, thus preventing the terrorists from entering the house,” said an officer.
The Watch and Ward was renamed Parliament Security Service in April 2009.
Chand said that soon after the attack, the investigation was taken up. In just 72 hours, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police cracked the case and arrested four people — Mohammed Afzal Guru, Shaukat Hussain, Afsal Guru and SAR Geelani — in this connection.
Two among them were acquitted, while Afzal Guru was hanged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail in February 2013. Shaukat Hussain served his sentence in jail.
On the eve of the attack’s 20th anniversary, the Delhi Police has also tightened its security arrangements in the national capital on Sunday.
Just three months ago in September, the Special Cell busted a major Pakistan-based terror module and arrested eight people that were planning to carry out terror attacks in the country during the festival season.
Prez, PM lead nation in paying tributes
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday led the nation in paying tributes to the security personnel who laid down their lives fighting terrorists during the 2001 Parliament attack.
Kovind tweeted: “I pay homage to the brave security personnel who laid down their lives on this day in 2001, defending the Parliament of the world’s largest democracy against a dastardly terrorist attack. The nation shall forever remain grateful to them for their supreme sacrifice.”
Remembering the bravehearts, the Prime Minister tweeted: “I pay my tributes to the security personnel who were martyred in the line of duty during the Parliament attack in 2001. Their service to the nation and supreme sacrifice continues to inspire every citizen.”
Paying homage, Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted in Hindi: “I salute the courage and valour of all the soldiers, who made their supreme sacrifice to protect the temple of Indian democracy, Parliament House, in the cowardly terrorist attack. Your unparalleled valour and sacrifice will always inspire us to serve the nation.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted: “My tributes to those brave security personnel who sacrificed their lives during attack on the Parliament House in 2001. The nation will remain grateful for their courage and supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.”
On the 20th anniversary of the attack, a programme was organised on the Parliament premises to pay homage to the bravehearts who made the supreme sacrifice.
Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Defence Minister Rajanth Singh, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Arjun Ram Meghwal, among others paid tribute to the victims of the attack.
Families of the deceased were also present at the event.
On December 13, 2001, five terrorists stormed the Parliament complex and opened indiscriminate firing. Nine people, including eight security personnel were killed while fighting the terrorists.
All the five terrorists were neutralised by the security forces.
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