Tributes to Parliament attack martyrs Monday

NEW DELHI - Political leaders will Monday pay tributes to the nine people, including eight security personnel, killed in the Dec 13, 2001 terror attack on parliament.

Officers and staff of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats will also join the the leaders to pay tributes to those who died in that attack, which almost brought India and Pakistan to the brink of a war.

In the attack, five heavily armed gunmen said to be Pakistanis - Islamabad denies the charge - stormed the Indian parliament and opened indiscriminate fire, killing nine people instantly.

The victims included five Delhi Police personnel, a woman Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper, two parliament watch and ward staff and a gardener. A journalist who was injured died later. All five terrorists were shot dead.

A year later, four accused, including Afzal Guru, who were arrested for the attack, were found guilty after a trial.

Guru, who is said to be a Jaish-e-Mohammed militant, was the only accused to be awarded the death penalty. The sentence has been stayed as his mercy petition is pending.