Vice President, LS Speaker pay tributes to personnel who lost lives in 2001 Parliament attack

Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday led the nation in paying tributes to the security personnel and victims who lost their lives while defending the Parliament 10 years ago. The tributes reminded everyone about the horrific terror attack on Indian Parliament on December 13.

Jagdish Prasad Yadav, Matbar Singh Negi, both Security Assistants of Rajya Sabha Secretariat, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) constable Kamlesh Kumari, who were posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra, were remembered for their selfless sacrifice while defending the terrorists.

Several Cabinet Ministers, Parliamentarians were among others across the country also remembered the sacrifice of Nanak Chand, Rampal, Om Prakash, Bijender Singh and Ghanshyam, who were posthumously awarded the Kirti Chakra.

It may be recalled that it was on December 13, 2001, that Jagdish, Matbar, Kamlesh Kumari; Nanak Chand and Rampal, Assistant Sub-Inspectors, Delhi Police; Om Prakash, Bijender Singh and Ghanshyam, Head Constables in Delhi Police; and Deshraj, a gardener, CPWD, had sacrificed their lives while defending the Parliament against the terrorist attack.

Besides Vice President and Lok Sabha Speaker, Union Minister for Defence Rajnath Singh; Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi; Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat; Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi; Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh; Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha) Mallikarjun Kharge; Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries and Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel; Union Minister of State, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Ministry of Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti; Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal; and Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale paid floral tributes to the martyrs.

Among others who paid tributes were several Union Ministers, Members of Parliament, former Members of Parliament and other dignitaries.

The perpetrators belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)-- two Pakistan-raised terrorist organisations-- attacked the Parliament on December 13, 2001, that led to the deaths of five Delhi Police personnel, two Parliament Security Service personnel, one CRPF Constable and a gardener and led to increased tensions between India and Pakistan, resulting in the 2001-2002 India-Pakistan standoff.

A total of five terrorists, who infiltrated the Parliament in a car with Home Ministry and Parliament labels, were killed on December 13, 2001 attack.

While both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha had been adjourned 40 minutes prior to the incident, many members of parliament (MPs) and government officials such as Home Minister LK Advani and Minister of State for Defence Harin Pathak were believed to have still been in the building at the time of the attack.

More than 100 people, including major politicians, were inside the parliament building at the time. The gunmen used a fake identity sticker on the car they drove and thus easily breached the security deployed around the parliamentary complex. The terrorists carried AK47 rifles, grenade launchers and pistols.

The gunmen drove their vehicle into the car of the Indian Vice President Krishan Kant (who was in the building at the time), got out, and began shooting. The Vice President's guards and security personnel shot back at the terrorists and then started closing the gates of the compound.

Indian security agencies and the Delhi Police officials said that gunmen received instructions from Pakistan and the operation was carried out under the guidance of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

( With inputs from ANI )

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