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Sunday, 14 December 2003 |
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Indian leaders mark parliament attack NEW DELHI, Dec 13 (AFP) Indian leaders Saturday paid homage to those who died in a militant attack on Indian parliament two years ago. Five armed rebels stormed parliament on December 13, 2001, killing eight police officers and a gardener before they were shot dead by security forces. A journalist injured in the attack died months later of his wounds. The attack was blamed by India on Pakistan-backed militants and triggered a military stand off which brought the nuclear rivals close to war last year. Relations only began to improve in April this year when Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee offered a "hand of friendship" to Pakistan. On Saturday, Indian Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani led a function at the parliament house building, offering flowers at a memorial for those who died. Meanwhile, the Delhi police filed an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court order acquitting college lecturer S.A.R. Geelani of planning the attack and Afsan Guru of concealing the conspiracy. The court on October 29 had acquitted the two on lack of evidence. But it upheld death sentences against two other Kashmiri Muslims, Mohammed Afzal and Shaukat Hussain Guru, who were also convicted of conspiring with the parliament attackers. |
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