Parliament Attack 2001: 20-Years Of Dastardly Terrorist Attack. President Kovind, PM Modi & Others Pay Homage

Ministers pay their homage to the Parliament attack and the lives lost during the horrific on its 20th anniversary. PM Modi calls those who martyred an inspiration to the nation.

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New Delhi: December 13, 2021, marks twenty years since the Parliament was attacked by five terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) - two Pakistan based terrorists organisations.

It has been 20 years since these attacks and the nation remembers one of the ghastly attacks on the temple of democracy. To mark the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Kovind, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and others paid tributes to the fallen soldiers, who laid their lives to protect democracy.

I pay my tributes to all those 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.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 13, 2021

Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted in Hindi, “I salute the courage and valour of all the brave security forces who made their supreme sacrifice to protect the pride of the nation in the cowardly terrorist attack on the Parliament House, the temple of Indian democracy. Your unparalleled valour and immortal sacrifice will always inspire us to serve the nation.”

भारतीय लोकतंत्र के मंदिर संसद भवन पर हुए कायरतापूर्ण आतंकी हमले में राष्ट्र के गौरव की रक्षा हेतु अपना सर्वोच्च बलिदान देने वाले सभी बहादुर सुरक्षाबलों के साहस व शौर्य को कोटिशः नमन करता हूँ।

आपका अद्वितीय पराक्रम व अमर बलिदान सदैव हमें राष्ट्रसेवा हेतु प्रेरित करता रहेगा। pic.twitter.com/HyzCyPkxnF

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 13, 2021

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.

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) December 13, 2021

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.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 13, 2021

2001 Parliament Attack

On December 13, 2001, 5 terrorists carrying AK47 rifles, grenade launchers, pistols and grenades entered the Parliament in White Ambassador cars with fake Parliament and Home Ministry labels on their cars and just after 40 minutes after the Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha were adjourned.

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Many members of parliament (MPs) and government officials such as Home Minister LK Advani and Minister of State for Defence Harin Pathak were likely to have been in the building at the time of the attack.

Terrorists armed with AK47 rifles, pistols, grenade launchers, and grenades broke through security cordons set up around the Parliament complex. Constable Kamlesh Kumari Yadav who was a staff member became suspicious of their movement as they drove the car further inside the Parliament.

Constable Yadav sacrificed her life to stop a suicide bomber but was struck 11 times killing her on the spot. Kamlesh Kumari Yadav served with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) received the Ashoka Chakra.

The attack lasted for approximately 30 minutes, and all five terrorists were gunned down outside the building by security forces. Five Delhi Police officers, two security assistants from the Parliament Watch and Ward section, and one CRPF constable laid their lives for the country while preventing terrorists from attempting to enter Parliament House.

Along with the security forces, a photojournalist and a gardener were also killed by the terrorists. Within days, four people were arrested and charged as masterminds of the attack.

The case against the four - Mohammed Afzal Guru, Shaukat Hussain, Afsan Guru and SAR Geelani - went on for about a decade, with the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court eventually acquitting two, and upholding the death sentence of one.

Geelani, a professor at Delhi University, was acquitted for “need of evidence” by the Delhi high court in 2003, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in 2005. Afsan Guru, too, was cleared of charges and Hussain served jail time. Afzal Guru was hanged in 2013.