Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying homage to the bravehearst killed during the 2001 Parliament attack. Several Union Ministers and MPs including Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Kartikay Sharma paid homage to the people who laid down their lives protecting Indian democracy on 13 December 2001 when a group of Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists attacked Parliament.
The solemn ceremony was organised at the old Parliament building on the 22nd anniversary of the attack.
BJP national president JP Nadda and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar also paid their tributes to the fallen jawans. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi also paid the floral tributes. Congress MPs Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and other leaders were also present on the occasion to pay their tributes.
It may be recalled that it was on December 13, 2001, that Jagdish, Matbar, Kamlesh Kumari; Nanak Chand and Rampal, Assistant Sub-Inspectors, Delhi Police; Om Prakash, Bijender Singh and Ghanshyam, Head Constables in Delhi Police; and Deshraj, a gardener, CPWD, had sacrificed their lives while defending the Parliament against the terrorist attack.
The perpetrators belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)– two Pakistan-raised terrorist organisations– attacked the Parliament on December 13, 2001, that led to the deaths of five Delhi Police personnel, two Parliament Security Service personnel, one CRPF Constable and a gardener and led to increased tensions between India and Pakistan, resulting in the 2001-2002 India-Pakistan standoff.
A total of five terrorists, who infiltrated the Parliament in a car with Home Ministry and Parliament labels, were killed in the December 13, 2001 attack.
More than 100 people, including major politicians, were inside the parliament building at the time. The gunmen used a fake identity sticker on the car they drove and thus easily breached the security deployed around the parliamentary complex. The terrorists carried AK47 rifles, grenade launchers and pistols.
The gunmen drove their vehicle into the car of the Indian Vice President Krishan Kant (who was in the building at the time), got out, and began shooting. The Vice President’s guards and security personnel shot back at the terrorists and then started closing the gates of the compound.
Indian security agencies and the Delhi Police officials said that gunmen received instructions from Pakistan and the operation was carried out under the guidance of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.