December 13, 2020 marks 19 years since the deadly attack on Parliament by terrorist groups linked to Pakistan. The Sansad Bhavan or the Indian Parliament complex was attacked by terrorists affiliated to the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Fourteen people were killed in the attack including the five perpetrators.
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.
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.
The terrorists had entered the complex about 40 minutes after Parliament was adjourned. The then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi had left the complex. Most of the other 100 MPs including the Home Minister L K Advani were present inside the building. The terrorists’ car brushed against the Vice President’s motorcade and invited an unplanned confrontation.
Heavy gunfire ensued between the terrorists and the security personnel for about an hour. All five terrorists were neutralised. Five Delhi police personnel, a Parliament security guard and a gardener were killed in the violent episode. About 22 people were injured. All ministers and MPs were unhurt in this incident which was also aired live on television by news channels.
The gunmen are thought to have used a fake identity sticker to get through tight security surrounding the parliament complex. Wearing military-style fatigues, they burst into the area in front of the parliament just before noon local time (0630 GMT).
One of the militants, who had ammunition strapped around him, had blown himself up in front of the main entrance to the parliament chambers. The terrorists’ intentions were perhaps to enter the building and shoot indiscriminately at the crowd of MPs and ministers.
The Indian Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, made a televised address to the nation shortly after the attacks, and was quick to denounce the militants.
The police filed an FIR on December 13, recording an armed attack by terrorists. 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. Extensive investigations after the attack revealed four names in connection with the case – Afzal Guru, SAR Geelani, Shaukat Hussain and Navjot Sandhu. Charges were framed under various sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 (POTA), and the Explosive Substances Act by the designated sessions Court. Sandhu was convicted of only 1 charge (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war) for which she was sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment and a fine. All the other three were sentenced to death by the trial court.
Geelani was later acquitted while Hussain’s sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. He was released 9 months before his official release date due to ‘good conduct’. Afzal Guru was executed by hanging on 9 February 2013 after a mercy petition filed by his wife was rejected.
His hanging was not without controversy. While some people objected to the long delay in getting due justice for the victims of the attack, others claim he was unjustly hanged. This incident further deteriorated relations between India and Pakistan and both countries escalated military personnel and preparedness along the borders. Pakistani forces were put on high alert while India mobilised and deployed heavy troops to Kashmir and Punjab in what was India’s largest military mobilisation since the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War. The countries were on the brink of war. Even though Pakistan had officially condemned the attacks and expressed sympathies with India, many called for action against the neighboring country for harboring militants and actively assisting them with training and arms.
World leaders and leaders in India’s immediate neighborhood condemned the attack on the Parliament. On 14 December, the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) blamed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed for the attack. Home Minister LK Advani claimed that they had received some clues about the incident, which showed that a neighboring country, and some terrorist organizations were behind the attacks.
Even though this incident was short-lived and the death count was relatively smaller than other attacks like the Mumbai terror attack on 26/11, it remains one of the most poignant terrorist acts on Indian soil because of the intended High Value Target. The terrorists chose to attack at the heart of Indian democracy. It also exposed the poor security at the complex. The event prompted the government to spend crores on beefing up the security at the complex.
