Ambassador car with
Home Ministry label, red beacon used NEW DELHI, Dec 13: In a suicide attack, five terrorists carrying deadly explosives and weapons today stormed the Parliament house complex with top leaders and 500 MPs inside but all the militants were killed in a gun battle with security people who lost six men in the most audacious strike in the country. After breaching the outer security of the complex by driving in a stolen white Ambassador with Home Ministry car label and flashing a red beacon, the terrorists made a bid to rush into main Parliament in which the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are located. But, they were felled by security men during an exchange of fire lasting about 45 minutes in which a gardener also lost his life. In all, 12 people died— six security personnel, five terrorists, one of whom strapped with explosives blew up, and the gardener. Vice President Krishan Kant, Home Minister L K Advani, Defence Minister George Fernandes and scores of other VVIPs besides hundreds of MPs were in Parliament House when the attack took place at 11.45 a.m., about half an hour after the two houses were adjourned for the day. Both Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and leader of the opposition Sonia Gandhi were not in the complex at that time, officials said. Over 20 people including a TV cameraman were injured in the attacks. Four of the injured underwent operation at the AIIMS for treatment of bullet wounds. As a wave of anger swept the nation, the Union Cabinet met in an emergency session this evening and pledged to "liquidate terrorists and their sponsors wherever they are and whoever they are". Police arrested five people but it was not clear if any of them was directly involved in the daring attack. No militant organisation claimed responsibility for the attack but intelligence sources suspected the hand of Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Officially Government refrained from naming any group or organisation with Advani stating that authorities had got certain leads which will unravel the "entire conspiracy". Addressing the nation on television, a grim looking Vajpayee declared that the battle against terrorism has entered its last phase and would be fought in a decisive manner. He said the attack was not only on Parliament but on the entire nation. Both Vajpayee and the Home Minister payed glowing tributes to the securitymen who laid down their lives to foil the designs of the terrorists. Undeterred by the terrorist attack, both Houses of Parliament will meet tomorrow as scheduled amidst reports that the possibility of a sine die adjournment of the current session is being considered. Following the attack, Army has been deployed in Parliament House, Prime Minister’s Office and residence, Rashtrapati Bhavan, residences of the Home Minister and leader of the opposition Sonia Gandhi, North and South Blocks housing key ministries, major Government installations and the Red Fort. A countrywide red alert has been sounded and security tightened in the wake of the attack on Parliament. The armed forces have been asked to tighten vigil at the border and the Line of the Control (LoC). After sealing the complex, Army explosive experts have been pressed into service in the Parliament house complex to defuse two RDX explosives left in the stolen car used by the terrorists. They had already carried out a "controlled explosion" to detonate a smaller bomb in the complex and were working on defusing two deadly RDX bombs left in two black bags by the terrorists. "After defusing the two bombs, we may also have to see if the car is filled with more explosives," sources said adding the quantity of RDX was worrying. A suspected Al Qaeda activist Abdul Afroz Razaq, arrested by Mumbai Police last week had spoken of plans by suicide squads to attack Parliaments in New Delhi and London and a sky scrapper in Australia. Advani said at the press conference that Afroz had spoken of a conspiracy to attack parliament using an aircraft. However, Government had earlier assessment of attacks on Parliament after the October one strike on Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Meanwhile, vowing to liquidate terrorists "wherever and whoever they are", Home Minister L K Advani today said Government is in possession of "certain leads" that could unravel the conspiracy behind the terrorist attack on Parliament "within some days." "We have some leads which, God willing, may make it possible to unearth the entire conspiracy behind the operation within some days," Advani told a crowded press conference here after emergency meetings of the Union Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Security. Advani said that "all persons on duty" in Parliament House at the time of terrorist strike were being examined. Besides five terrorists who were killed, seven persons including four Delhi policemen, a woman CRPF constable, a watch and ward staff of Rajya Sabha and a CPWD gardener lost their lives in the firing, the Home Minister said. Replying to a question on the number of terrorists involved in the attack, he said investigations were on to find out whether the five killed had engaged a driver for their car which had a parking label of the Home Ministry but not of Parliament. Asked whether the terrorists were of Indian origin, he said they did not seem to be Indian faces. A resolution adopted by the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, while strongly condemning the dastardly assault, said, "the nation accepts the challenge. We will liquidate terrorists and their sponsors wherever they are, whoever they are—as our valiant security forces have done in this particular instance." The resolution said, "it has been an attack not just on a building but on what is the very heart of our system of governance, on what is symbol and the keystone of the largest democracy in the world." It said "the first requisite for the battle is that each of us be vigilant, and that all of us remain united. The assault is yet another reminder that each of us must measure the issue we take up against the challenge that confronts the country." Keeping in view the incident that took place today, Advani said that the Government would discuss a proposal with Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi whether armed personnel could be posted inside Parliament. So far armed police personnel are posted in the premises of the highest legislative body but they are not allowed inside, Advani said, adding "the final decision will be of the Speaker." The Home Minister rejected that there was any compromise on the Parliament’s security and said, "this is a reasonbale case of success" where all the five terrorists were prevented from entering main building and killed. Giving the sequence of events, Advani said the terrorists armed with AK 47 rifles and a bag full of grenades came in a car and obviously had the map of Parliament House. They tried to enter Parliament through the gate taken by Rajya Sabha Chairman but found an iron door that blocked their entrance, he said, adding they spread into two groups to carry out their operation that lasted 20 to 30 minutes. The attackers chose a time when both houses were supposed to be in session with full attendance since it was time for Question Hour, he said. Had the suicide squad succeeded in entering Parliament House, one can only imagine how horrifying it could have been, Advani said, adding that the Prime Minister was supposed to have been in Parliament as it was his question day in Rajya Sabha. All the political leaders were also present in Parliament, he said. Asked if the Government had intelligence information about a possible terrorist attack, he said the confession made by a SIMI activist Mohd Afroz Abdul Razaq in Mumbai had given indications that terrorists may indulge in some adventurism of this sort in Parliament House but the conspiracy related to an aircraft being used. He categorically denied that there was a security or intelligence failure. The Minister recalled that although there was no lack of security for Indira Gandhi at her Prime Minister’s residence, she could not be saved. Citing the September 11 terror strikes in the US, Advani said that it was difficult to altogether prevent attacks by Fiyadeens (suicide squads). Asked if the Government intended to carry out surgical operations to strike at the roots of terrorists, he said the Cabinet resolution has made it clear that the Government does not propose to play down the attack on Parliament. He said initial reports suggested that the white ambassador car used by the terrorists was packed with explosives. Investigations were underway in this regard, he said. To another question, he said security had been beefed up in Parliament House after the October one attack on the J and K Assembly. He said the success rate of security forces in J and K in eliminating terrorists had risen significantly after that. On whether the attack has given a fresh boost to the need for an anti-terrorism law, the Home Minister said Government has been maintaining that such a law was needed. Asked if there was a change in the attitude of the opposition after the strike, he said Government was now only concentrating on the event. (Agencies) |
