The terrorist attack on the Indian parliament on 13th Dec. 2001, is considered to be a watershed event of great significance. The attack was aimed at the very root of Indian democracy and would have had disastrous consequences for the nation, had their plan succeeded. Luck was on our side. The nation breathed a sigh of relief when the five terrorists, who tried to storm the Parliament complex, were shot to death.
The five attackers were young terrorists trained in Pakistan. They belonged to two Pakistan based terrorists organisations named the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish- e-Mohammad (JeM). The plan was worked out in Pakistan by the top leaders of these two organisations with the help of Pakistan’s secret agency known as Inter-service Intelligence OSI). The five attackers were led by a young man named
Mohammad Alias and consisted of four other terrorists named Raja, Hamza, Rana, and Haider- all aged between 20 and 35 years. Sometime in Oct. 2001, the attackers reached Delhi and with the help of three conspirators named Shaukat Hussain (a Delhi based transporter), Mohammad Afzal (a commission agent for medical equipment) and Syed Rehman Gilani (an Arabic lecturer in Delhi), they managed to get the necessary accommodation, vehicle, weapons and the required information about the Parliament complex.
Image Source: indobrit.org
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The chief plan of the operation was to wipe out the entire political leadership of the country especially the Prime Minister, the home minister and the defence minister as well as many MPs. Part of the plan of the attack was to take as many key political leaders and MPs as possible as hostages and attract world attention. The possession of mobile phones and packets of dry fruits all suggest that they were prepared for a week-long stay in the Parliament complex.
o n the morning of 13th Dec. 2001, the five terrorists fully armed moved towards the Parliament complex in an ambassador car fitted with explosives. Their plan was to blow up the car near the main entrance to the Parliament complex and rush into it during the commotion that would follow the car explosion.
But the chance presence of Vice-President Krishna Kant’s convoy and his security men upset their plan. When their explosives-laden car hit a convoy car, the detonator wires came loose. The infringement of the security cover to the Vice-President caught the attention of the watch and ward staff of the parliament who immediately raised an alarm and ensured that all entry into the complex was blocked. Thus the terrorists’ plan was foiled.
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Therefore, the five terrorists led by Mohammed Alias fired indiscriminately at the policeman, killing four of them. Then they rushed towards the main entrance. The police and CRPF personnel returned the fire and one of the bullets hit Mohammad, detonating the plastic explosives strapped around his waist. The rest of the terrorists ran back, scaled the walls and within minutes were gunned down by the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) Personnel. Thus the nation was saved from a major national catastrophe.
It was one of the direst attacks of Kashmiri terrorists, against India. They attacked the very seat of Indian democracy and challenged our very existence as a nation. The ensuing investigation has revealed the hand of Pakistan in the attack.
Since then Indo-Pak relation has reached its lowest ebb. The Indian ambassador to Pakistan was recalled and several economic and political measures were undertaken in retaliation to the attack. The attack encouraged the Indian Govt, to give up its pacifist policy followed so far with regard to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. As a result of the horrifying event, many countries of the world came to support the Indian cause. Thus, the attack on the Indian parliament on 13th Dec. is a watershed event of great significance.
The daring attack by the five Pakistan based terrorists against Indian Parliament was an attack on Indian democracy itself. It was terrorism at its best. Had the plan of the terrorists succeeded, it would have wiped out the entire political leadership of our country and the nation would have been forced to bend its knee before the terrorists’ demand. However, the attack failed to achieve its goal. But the scars left behind by the attack are still visible on the Indian panorama.