Had it not been for the presence of mind and rapid action of some valiant policemen and parliament staffers, many of India’s celebrated political leaders may not have escaped from harm’s way. One of the fedayeen militants, who was blown to smithereens, was only yards away from entering the main hallway of the Parliament. Had he succeeded in getting in, anything could have happened, for, like the others, he was armed with the deadliest and latest automatic weapons and had enough ammunition to engage our security personnel for hours.

The incident gained international attention in a matter of minutes, thanks to the presence of foreign media channels in Delhi. Weeks later, India primed itself for war against Pakistan, whose territory had been used to train and launch the terrorists.

Before proceeding further, a word or two must be said about the beautiful and structurally perfect architecture and layout of the Parliament House (Sansad Bhawan), located in the heart of New Delhi. This will help the readers gain a better understanding of the crime.

Designed between 1912 and 1913 by the architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker, its circular shape was possibly inspired by the Ashoka Chakra. It is 171 metres in diameter and colonnaded with 144 columns. The Duke of Connaught laid its foundation stone in 1921 and Lord Irwin inaugurated the building in 1927. The imposing building is surrounded by large gardens with fountains and a sandstone wall along its perimeter. The total area of the parliament estate is 6 acres (approximately 2.5 hectares).

In its central edifice are twelve gates with porches that serve as entry points to the building. Gate number one is the main entry point for MPs, their support staff and visitors. The gates are numbered anticlockwise. As one enters the parliament precincts from the Sansad Marg (Parliament Street) side—the direction the terrorists came from—gate number one falls on one’s right. If one proceeds further around the central edifice, the next two gates are twelve and eleven. It was gate eleven where the action started on that fateful December morning.

To be continued………..