It happened 22 years ago, but the thought of it brings memories which remain etched, every year on December 13, the events come flooding back to mind.

The day started as usual as one went to Parliament to cover the proceedings for the news agency Press Trust of India. Picking up our notebooks, we reporters trooped into the Press Gallery of Lok Sabha and took our seats in the front row.

No sooner was the announcement made by the staff for the commencement of the proceedings at 11 A.M, Opposition members trooped into the well, raising slogans. They had been doing this regularly for over a week from December 6, that is the date when the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, had taken place in 1992.

Within minutes, Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day. As we trooped out, our colleagues who were reporting the proceedings in the Rajya Sabha joined us on the open veranda in the circular building. We gathered for a cup of tea at the popular Panditji’s stall.

After tea, some of us decided to go to Central Hall to meet Members of Parliament over a cup of coffee and butter toast which was standard fare.

Some of us were sitting with Sushma Swaraj and Congress member Selja Kumari exchanging pleasantries. About half an hour later, there was commotion in the Hall, as Parliament security staff rushed in, closing all the entry points and asking us to remain seated where we were.

We were virtually frozen where we sat, suddenly we heard sounds like bursting of firecrackers and wondered what was going on. We were prevented from leaving the hall. Then word spread that the Parliament was under attack by terrorists.

Yes, some of us were indeed shaken and didn’t know what to do. But, amidst all this, one must give credit to Swaraj who maintained her composure. She just asked us to remain seated and continued talking to us, giving the impression that everything was normal.

“Just remain seated and so what were we talking about,” Swaraj continued, putting us at ease and her calmness was indeed remarkable. taking cue from her, we too kept calm, or at least made all efforts to put up a front of calmness.

The sound of gunshots continued, we remained inside hoping it would end soon and we would be let out. But, we had to spend the next couple of hours in our seats at the hallowed Central Hall which has now been closed forever.

The attack was carried out by five armed men who had come in a white ambassador which had a fake number plate of the Vice President Krishna Kant who was Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

They had crashed through the barricades, and attempted to enter inside Parliament through the entrance which was for the Vice President.

Fortunately, the door had already been closed since both Houses had adjourned for the day, and on such days, only the main entrance remained open.

This was indeed definitely a piece of good fortune for had the terrorists been able to enter through that door, there would have been havoc inside. The Ministers, Members of Parliament and a large number of media persons and other Parliamentary staff were all there.

One of the terrorists was a human bomb who had grenades and other explosives strapped around his waist. He intended to blow himself up once he entered Parliament.

Seeing that only the main entrance was open, the terrorists attempted to rush towards it. Luckily, the Parliament security staff who had been alerted immediately shut the main entrance and took up positions to eliminate the terrorists.

A heavy exchange of fire between the terrorists and security personnel ensued. We heard gunshots which sounded more like bursting crackers.

The gun battle went on for some hours leading to the death of six Delhi Police personnel, two Parliament Security Service personnel, and a gardener. All the five attackers were killed by security forces.

Even as the battle raged outside Parliament building, some of us left Central Hall and managed to get back to our offices located on the first floor of the main Parliament building. No sooner had we come out on the veranda, the security staff on duty pushed us into our office rooms and locked them from the outside.

Surely, they had the safety of us first and foremost in their minds and we remained inside our office rooms for the rest of the day till evening. With the phones too being disconnected as a security measure, we remained incommunicado for the rest of the day.

The terrorist groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operating from Pakistan were identified as the one who carried out the attack. The incident led to increased tensions between India and Pakistan, resulting in the 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff.

Though Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had already left Parliament, but, Home Minister L.K. Advani and several other ministers were inside the precincts of Parliament and were all asked to remain in their offices. The attackers had AK-47 rifles, grenade launchers, pistols and grenades.

In the gun fight that ensued, the Parliament security staff shot dead all of them. A terrorist’s suicide vest exploded when he was shot dead. One terrorist was killed near the main entrance, the bloodstains remained for some time before the place was cleaned.

A TV news channel’s cameraman who was stationed behind a wall too was injured by a bullet during the exchange of fire. Constable Kamlesh Kumari of the Central Reserve Police Force was the first to spot the militants and was shot by them as she raised the alarm.She died on the spot.

The ministers and MPs escaped unhurt. Nine people were killed by the terrorists and at least 17 others were injured in the attack.

By the evening when the all clear signal was given by the security staff, the then Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan, who was known for his organising capabilities, ensured that all the Members of Parliament were safely dropped at their residence.

Meanwhile, the media too left the premises and returned to their offices to file their reports of their first hand experience. Fortunately, no casualties were reported among the media persons, except for the cameraman who was injured and was admitted to hospital for treatment.

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