The old Parliament building bore witness to a poignant gathering as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several eminent leaders convened to honor the Jawans who sacrificed their lives in the tragic Parliament Attack of 2001. A somber occasion, attended by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and other dignitaries, marked the 22nd anniversary of the fateful event.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally met the families of the Jawans who bravely defended the Parliament on December 13, 2001. Congress leaders, including president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and other members, paid their respects alongside other leaders.
The attack, orchestrated by terrorists belonging to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), claimed the lives of security personnel and a gardener who valiantly shielded the Parliament from the assault.
Five terrorists, armed with AK47 rifles, grenade launchers, and pistols, breached security barriers using a car with counterfeit Home Ministry and Parliament labels. Despite their heavily armed incursion, the attackers were thwarted by the brave response of security forces, ultimately meeting their end in a confrontation with the Parliament's defenders.
The incident, which put more than 100 lives at risk, exacerbated tensions between India and Pakistan, leading to the 2001-2002 India-Pakistan standoff. Indian authorities and the Delhi Police confirmed the terrorists' connections to Pakistan and the operation's orchestration by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
The anniversary serves as a solemn reminder of the valor exhibited by the martyrs who sacrificed their lives defending the nation's democratic heart, the Parliament, against a cowardly act of terror.