22 years of Parliament attack: Vice President, PM Modi, other leaders pay tribute to martyrs

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday paid tributes to those who laid down their lives in the 2001 terror attack on Parliament.

Paying their respects alongside were Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, Home Minister Amit Shah, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, and Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh, among others, who laid floral tributes at the memorial for the martyrs, PTI reported.

Also Read: 'No room for ifs and buts in dealing with terrorism..,' says Modi

Furthermore, Modi engaged in conversations with the families of the martyrs, notably with the children who had assembled for the ceremony on a chilly morning.

Congress leader Rajiv Shukla was observed exchanging words with the prime minister before Modi departed from the venue.

“Remembering the courageous security personnel who laid down their lives during the attack on our Parliament in 2001. Bharat is forever indebted to them for their supreme sacrifice,” the Vice President said in a post on X.

"Terrorism remains a threat to humanity worldwide, and it is imperative for nations to stand united in eradicating this obstacle to global peace," he said.

In a post on X, the prime minister said, “Today, we remember and pay heartfelt tributes to the brave security personnel martyred in the Parliament attack in 2001. Their courage and sacrifice in the face of danger will forever be etched in our nation's memory”.

Also Read: Parliament terror convict Afzal Guru hanged

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in a post on X wrote, “Pay tribute to those who made the supreme sacrifice defending our Parliament from terrorism on this day in 2001. Their memory inspires our uncompromising fight against terrorism in all forms and manifestations.”

On December 13, 2001, militants from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) carried out a terrorist attack on the Parliament complex, initiating gunfire. Their attempt to breach Parliament House was thwarted by personnel from the Parliament Security Service, CRPF, and Delhi Police.

Also Read: Intel agencies trying to ascertain reports on Masood Azhar's death: Officials

The casualties of the attack comprised individuals such as Kamlesh Kumari, a CRPF constable who was the first to detect the terrorists and raise an alarm, along with Jagdish Prasad Yadav and Matbar Singh Negi from the Parliament watch and ward.

Additionally, members of the Delhi Police, including Nanak Chand, Rampal, Om Prakash, Bijender Singh, Ghanshyam, and Deshraj, a gardener with the CPWD, were also among those who lost their lives.

Also Read: Opinion | Uri to Pulwama: Modi’s strategy to end a terror-talk cycle

A journalist, wounded during the attack, succumbed to injuries at a later time. Meanwhile, all five terrorists involved in the incident were neutralized, having been shot dead.

(With inputs from PTI)