Terrorist Attack on the Parliament of India

Terrorists on December 13, 2001 attacked the Parliament of India resulting in a 45-minute gun battle in which 9 policemen and parliament staffer were killed. All the five terrorists were also killed by the security forces and were identified as Pakistani nationals. The attack took place around 11:40 am (IST), minutes after both Houses of Parliament had adjourned for the day.

The suspected terrorists dressed in commando fatigues entered Parliament in a car through the VIP gate of the building. Displaying Parliament and Home Ministry security stickers, the vehicle entered the Parliament premises. The terrorists set off massive blasts and have used AK-47 rifles, explosives and grenades for the attack. Senior Ministers and over 200 Members of Parliament were inside the Central Hall of Parliament when the attack took place. Security personnel sealed the entire premises which saved many lives.

  • January 13, 2002 - Statement by External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh on Pakistan President's address on terrorism

  • January 13, 2002 - External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh's Press Conference on Pakistan President's address on terrorism

  • January 05, 2002 - Press Release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on reduction of Indian diplomatic staff in Pakistan

  • January 03, 2002 - External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh's Press Conference at Kathmandu, Nepal

  • December 31, 2001 - Statement made by External Affairs Minister on actions taken by Pakistan

  • December 27, 2001 - Statement by External Affairs Minister on recent actions taken by India

  • December 21, 2001 - Press Statement issued on recalling of High Commissioner of India to Pakistan

  • December 21, 2001 - Press Statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on U.S. President's statement on the occasion of the 100th day after September 11, 2001

STATEMENT MADE BY HOME MINISTER, L. K. ADVANI ON THE TERRORIST ATTACK ON PARLIAMENT HOUSE ON DECEMBER 13, 2001

Parliament
December 18, 2001

The ghastly attack on Parliament House on 13th December, 2001 has shocked the entire nation. The terrorist assault on the very bastion of our democracy was clearly aimed at wiping out the country’s top political leadership. It is a tribute to our security personnel that they rose to the occasion and succeeded in averting what could have been a national catastrophe. In so doing they made the supreme sacrifice for which the country would always remain indebted to them.

It is now evident that the terrorist assault on the Parliament House was executed jointly by Pak-based and supported terrorist outfits, namely, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. These two organizations are known to derive their support and patronage from Pak ISI. The investigation so far carried out by the police shows that all the five terrorists who formed the suicide squad were Pakistani nationals. All of them were killed on the spot and their Indian associates have since been nabbed and arrested.

The investigation at this stage indicates that the five Pakistani terrorists entered the Parliament House Complex at about 11.40 A.M. in an Ambassador Car bearing registration No.DL-3CJ-1527 and moved towards Building Gate No.12 when it encountered the carcade of Vice President of India which was parked at Gate No.11. One of the members of the Parliament House Watch and Ward Staff, Shri Jagdish Prasad Yadav, became suspicious about the identity of the car and immediately ran after it. The car was forced to turn backward and in the process it hit the Vice President’s car. When challenged by the security personnel present on the spot all the five terrorists jumped out of the car and started firing indiscriminately. The Delhi Police personnel attached with the Vice-President’s security as also the personnel of CRPF and ITBP on duty immediately took their positions and returned the fire. It was at this point that another member of Parliament House Watch and Ward Staff, Shri Matbar Singh, sustained bullet injuries. He rushed inside Gate No.11 and closed it. An alarm was raised and all the gates in the building were immediately closed. The terrorists ran towards Gate No.12 and then to Gate No.1 of the Parliament House Building. One terrorist was shot dead by the security forces at Gate No.1 and in the process the explosives wrapped around his body exploded. The remaining four terrorists turned back and reached Gate No.9 of the Building. Three of them were gunned down there. The fifth terrorist ran towards Gate No.5 where he also was gunned down.

During the exchange of fire, four Delhi Police personnel, namely, Shri Nanak Chand, Assistant Sub-Inspector, Shri Rampal, Assistant Sub-Inspector, Shri Om Prakash, Head Constable and Shri Ghanshyam, Head Constable attached with the Vice president’s security lost their lives on the spot. The other three persons who were also killed were Smt. Kamlesh Kumari, a Woman Constable of CRPF, Shri Jagdish Prasad Yadav, a Security Assistant of Watch and Ward Staff of the Parliament House, who had rushed after the terrorists’ car and a civilian employee of CPWD, Shri Desh Raj, 18 other persons were injured and they were immediately rushed to Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for medical treatment. These included Shri Matbar Singh, Security Assistant, Watch and Ward Staff of the Parliament House who later succumbed to his injuries. The scene of the crime was cordoned off and Investigation Teams including Forensic Experts and Bomb Detection Squads were pressed into service. A number of hand grenades were recovered from the site of the incident and defused. A large quantity of arms and ammunition including explosives was also recovered.

The break-through in the investigation of the case was achieved with the arrest of Syed Abdul Rehman Gilani, a Lecturer in a local College, whose interrogation led to the identification of two other accomplices, Afzal and Shaukat Hussain Guru. The wife of the latter disclosed that her husband and Afzal had in the afternoon of 13th December, 2001 left for Srinagar. This information was immediately conveyed to the J&K Police who apprehended both of them. A laptop computer and Rs.1 million in cash were recovered from them. They were later brought to Delhi by a Special Team deputed for the purpose by Delhi Police.

Interrogation of the accused persons has revealed that Afzal was the main coordinator who was assigned this task by a Pakistani national, Gazi Baba of Jaish-e-Mohmmad. Afzal had earlier been trained in a camp run by Pak ISI at Muzaffarabad in Pak Occupied Kashmir. The hideouts for the five Pak terrorists were arranged by Shaukat Hussain Guru, two in Mukherjee Nagar and one in timarpur area in North Delhi. During the subsequent raids, the police recovered from two of these hideouts a lot of incriminating material including a large quantity of ammonium Nitrate and other ingredients used in preparing Improvised Explosive Devices; a map of Delhi; a sheet of paper carrying a map of Chankyapuri drawn in hand; and three police uniforms. In all, four persons have so far been arrested in connection with this case.

The incident once again establishes that terrorism in India is the handiwork of Pakistan-based terrorist outfits known to derive their support and sustenance from Pak ISI. The hijacking of IC-814 Flight to Kandhar, the terrorist intrusion into the Red Fort and attack on J&K Legislative Assembly complex at Srinagar on 1st October this year were master minded and executed by militant outfits at the behest of the ISI. Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohmmad in particular have been in the forefront in organizing terrorist violence in our country. The Pakistan High Commissioner in India was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs and issued a verbal demarche demanding that Islamabad take action against the two terrorist outfits involved in the attack on the Parliament House.

Last week’s attack on Parliament is undoubtedly the most audacious, and also the most alarming, act of terrorism in the nearly two-decades-long history of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in India. This time the terrorists and their mentors across the border had the temerity to try to wipe out the entire political leadership of India, as represented in our multi-party Parliament. Naturally, it is time for all of us in this august House, and all of us in the country, to ponder why the terrorists and their backers tried to raise the stakes so high, particularly at a time when Pakistan is claiming to be a part of the international coalition against terrorism.

The only answer that satisfactorily addresses this query is that Pakistan – itself a product of the indefensible Two-Nation Theory, itself a theocratic State with an extremely tenuous tradition of democracy – is unable to reconcile itself with the reality of a secular, democratic, self-confident and steadily progressing India, whose standing in the international community is getting inexorably higher with the passage of time.

The Prime Minister in his address to the nation on the 13th December, 2001 has declared that the fight against terrorism had reached a decisive phase. The supreme sacrifice made by the security personnel who lost their lives in this incident will not be allowed to go in vain. Those behind the attack on Parliament House should know that the Indian people are united and determined to stamp out terrorism from the country.

Resolution adopted by the Union Cabinet on the terrorist attack on Parliament House

At an emergency meeting today, held under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet reviewed this morning’s events in Parliament. The Cabinet strongly condemned this dastardly assault. It has been an attack not just on a building but on what is the very heart of our system of governance, on what is the symbol and the keystone of the largest democracy in the world. By the attack, the terrorists have yet again flung a challenge at the country. The nation accepts the challenge. We will liquidate the terrorists and their sponsors wherever they are, whoever they are – as our valiant security forces have done in this particular instance. We join the country in paying homage to the seven personnel who have laid down their lives so that the country prevail. The first requisite for the battle is that each of us be vigilant, and that all of us remain united. The assault is yet another reminder that each of us must measure the issue we take up against the challenge that confronts the country.

Excerpts from Prime Minister's Message

December 13, 2001

The Parliament is the highest representative of democracy and they chose Parliament deliberately as their target. The attack was not on the Parliament but on the entire nation. We will see that the terrorists are unsuccessful in their attempts. We are fighting terrorism for the last two decades and the entire country is together in this crisis. We are with the families of the people who laid down their lives fighting against the terrorist attack on the Parliament.

Press conference by Home Minister L. K. Advani

December 13, 2001

It was not an attack only on the building but at the very heart of our governance and symbol of democracy. The home minister said terrorists have thrown a challenge to the nation and "the nation accepts the challenge." The assault is a reminder and we take up the challenge that confronts us. We will liquidate them whoever they are and wherever they are. Terming the attack as a 'dastardly' act, he said the first requirement for the battle was that "each of us has to be vigilant and every one has to be united."

Home Minister said that the Government interpret this latest event just like we had interpreted the October 1 happenings (when the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly was attacked); both these cases had shown that the principal target of terrorist is democracy. On October 1, 2001, the terrorists had chosen symbolically the J&K Assembly. The events of this morning had indicated that terrorist and terrorist organizations are targeting democratic and free societies. That is why the Indian Parliament was targeted.

Links to India's news media on terrorist attack on Parliament
(Please note: Contents of articles/opinions/headlines from news media sources should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein by the Embassy of India)

India Attacked - Times of India

Parliament Attacked - Hindustan Times

The Attack on the Parliament - Rediff on Net

Attack on Parliament - Indian Express

Selected articles from the U.S. Media
(Please note: Contents of articles/opinions/headlines from news media sources should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein by the Embassy of India)