New Delhi, Dec 13: 17 years ago on December 13, 2001, five terrorists belonging to the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeT) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist outfits attacked the Indian Parliament.
The incident took place around 40 minutes after the Parliament was adjourned and about 100 members of Parliament were present in the building. Fourteen lives were lost including five Delhi Police personnel that day before the terrorists were killed. They used fake identity cards and passes to get through the tight security of the parliament complex.
In the following investigations, four men were identified for their involvement in the attack. Mohammad Afzal Guru, Shaukat Hussain Guru, SAR Gilani and Afsan Guru. Afsan Guru was sentenced to five years of prison and the rest were given the death sentence. The hanging of Afzal Guru on February 9, 2013, struck widespread protests from the students of Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University.
The nation is paying homage to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives while defending Parliament House in the terror attack on this day in 2001. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will pay floral tributes to the martyrs at Parliament House this morning.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday saluted the valour of those who were martyred in the 2001 Parliament attack 17 years ago, adding that their courage and heroism inspired every Indian.
"We salute the valour of those who were martyred during the dastardly attack on our Parliament on this day in 2001. Their courage and heroism inspires every Indian," the prime minister said in a tweet on the 17th anniversary of the attack on Parliament.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said 13th of December is a day to pay homage to those who were martyred and to remind oneself of the need for a united resolve against a common enemy. In an article, Naidu said India need to steps up diplomatic efforts to combat the ever-growing global menace of terrorism.