On the eve of disaster: A look at the gruesome 2001 Parliament Attack

Tomorrow marks two decades since the country witnessed the
horror of the 2001 parliament attack.

On December 13, 2001, a suicide squad of 5 terrorists
from Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist
groups attacked the Parliament during a Lok Sabha session, although the houses
were adjourned. Several political figures were present inside the parliament, in deep shock due to the attack.

LK Advani, the home minister back then,
called the devastating attack as “the most audacious, and also the most alarming, act of terrorism”.

The terrorists arrived at the scene in an Ambassador
car and gained access with the help of a forged government sticker on the
vehicle.

Moments later, one
of the staff members got skeptical, thus forcing the Ambassador car to turn back.
The car then hit Vice President Krishan Kant’s vehicle.

The terrorists opened fire with AK-47s and used grenades as well. The
attack continued for nearly half an hour, after which they were neutralized. Unfortunately,
five Delhi Police personnel, one female CRPF constable, two security assistants
of Parliament Watch and Ward section, a
photojournalist and a gardener were killed during the attack.

Also Read: Everything to know about 6 terror attacks that shook India

In a matter of days, four people were arrested, charged
as the masterminds behind the attack, including Mohammed
Afzal Guru, Shaukat Hussain, Afsan Guru and SAR Geelani. While two were acquitted,
one was given a death sentence and hanged in 2013. Geelani, a Delhi University
professor, was not persecuted by the courts due to “need of evidence”. Delhi
Police officials concluded that ISI was behind the elaborate terrorist scheme.
The investigations continued for a substantial amount of time. A
similar attack took place in the assembly of Srinagar in 2001, causing 38 casualties.

Also Read: US commander: Al-Qaeda numbers in Afghanistan ‘slightly’ up

Even 20 years later, the incident has left the capital traumatized, with police authorities being hyper vigilant
and incorporating additional security measures on the day.

The Kay Kay Menon starrer web
series named Special Ops, is inspired by the events surrounding the attack. The thriller series is directed
by Neeraj Pandey and is available on Hotstar.