2001 Parliament attack: what happened 22 years ago on this day?

On this day 22 years ago, a five-member suicide squad comprising Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists attacked Parliament House. The attack took place on December 13, 2001, and at that time, the Parliament was in session.

The attackers came in an Ambassador car and they were able to get entry because of a forged government sticker. As the card moved inside the Parliament complex, one of the staff members became suspicious. After this, the vehicle was forced to turn back and during that, the ambassador hit the then vice president Krishan Kant's vehicle.

The terrorists ,who were armed with AK-47s and grenades, got down and opened fire. The attack lasted for about 30 minutes, and all five terrorists were neutralised outside the building itself.

In the attack, five security personnel of Delhi Police, one woman constable of the CRPF and two security assistants of the Parliament Watch and Ward section died while preventing the entry of terrorists into Parliament House. Other than these people, a gardener and a photojournalist also lost their lives.

Within days of the scary attack at the Parliament, four people were arrested and charged as masterminds of the attack. The case against the four - Mohammed Afzal Guru, Shaukat Hussain, Afsan Guru and SAR Geelani - went on for about a decade, with the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court eventually acquitting two, and upholding the death sentence of one.

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