NEW DELHI, 14 December 2002 — The United States reinforced yesterday its alliance with India in the fight against terrorism, as Indian lawmakers gathered at a fortress-like Parliament to observe the first anniversary of a deadly attack on the complex.
US Ambassador to India Robert D. Blackwill joined Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and other politicians to pay tribute at a memorial for those gunned down by militants exactly a year ago.
“What could be a more appropriate occasion than this to repeat with full voice and strong heart that India and the United States are together in the war against terrorism,” Blackwill said. “That war will not be won until all terrorism against India and America is ended, permanently.” Blackwill and Indian leaders were protected yesterday by intense security, which had turned Parliament into a virtual fortress. Fourteen people died in last year’s Dec. 13 attack by militants, which re-ignited military tensions between India and Pakistan.
Five gunmen entered the Parliament grounds and killed eight security men and a gardener. Police then shot dead the gunmen. Government ministers and around 300 lawmakers were in Parliament at the time, but all were unharmed as the five attackers were gunned down before they could enter the building.
The occasion was marked yesterday by the laying of wreaths and the inauguration of a painting exhibition on peace and terrorism. As soon as the two Houses of Parliament assembled, members observed a minute’s silence. “Such attacks reinforce our determination to fight the evil of terror,” lower house speaker Manohar Joshi said in a speech before observing the silence.
The plaque at the memorial read, “Martyrs of 13 December. They foiled the terrorist attack on Parliament of India and died defending democracy”.
Describing the assault as a “most heinous terrorist attack”, Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj told journalists that Delhi was as determined as ever to rein in terrorism,
“To commemorate this day ... is also a way to show our resolve to fight against terrorism. It is in no way less than Sept. 11 attack on the United States,” she said. Outside the sprawling complex, policemen with two-way radios were stationed en masse. “We are trying our best. The access to the building has become much more stricter. And the number of vehicles has been restricted,” Ajay Chadda, who is in charge of security in Parliament, said.
The attack, which India blamed on Pakistan-based militant organizations brought the two countries to the brink of war, with more than a million troops from both sides massed on the border.
A special court in New Delhi is still hearing the case against four people accused of complicity in the attack. Judgment is due on Monday. Mohammed Afzal, a 35-year-old fruit merchant, Shaukat Hussain and his wife Afsana, and A.R. Geelani, a New Delhi college teacher, were arrested in Indian-administered Kashmir and New Delhi just days after the attack.
Police claim Afzal and Hussain — both Kashmiris — are members of Jaish-e-Mohammad and had helped the gunmen launch the attack. A week after the assault, Afzal admitted in a television interview given in police custody, to bringing the gunmen to New Delhi and providing them with “all facilities” in the capital.
The four were initially detained under the Indian Penal Code — which presumes innocent until proven guilty —but the government later charged them under the tough new Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) which places the onus of proving innocence on the accused.
Two months ago the Delhi High Court had ruled that intercepted communications between the accused in the case — on which the prosecution has built its case —were not admissible as evidence under POTA.
