Leaders pay homage to Parliament attack martyrs

New Delhi, Dec 13 (UNI) Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Home Minister Shivraj Patil, BJP leader L K Advani and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee were among a host of leaders who today paid homage to the security personnel martyred foiling the December 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament.

The leaders offered floral tributes at the portraits of Delhi Police personnel -- ASI Ram Pal, ASI Nanak Chand, Head Constable Vijendra Singh and Constable Om Prakash, CRPF Lady Constable Kamlesh Kumari, Parliament Watch and Ward Staff's Matwar Singh Negi and J P Yadav and CPWD employee Desh Raj in the Parliament premises.

On the occasion, Sardar Singh, father of Om Prakash, steered clear of the controversy regarding the clemency petition of Afzal Guru, the prime convict in the Parliament attack case.

Asked whether his son's sacrifice had gone waste, Sardar Singh said this was far from truth.

''My son has given his life while trying to safeguard Parliament, and there is no question of the sacrifice going waste,'' he said.

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