as the five heavily armed terrorists drove into the parliament complex and opened fire these brave men were pushing stragglers in and clanging closed the heavy doors the building that houses democracyreutersthis year the supreme court confirmed death sentence for accused mohammed afzal in the case and condoned death for shaukat hussain guru sentencing him instead to 10 years rigorous imprisonment all was well with the world this was after all the indian parliament that was attacked reuterslike a stream of bewildered mps coming out of the central hall sweating on a december day with the knowledge that they had been within touching distance of a violent death at the end of two terrorfilled hours five delhi police personnel one woman constable of the crpf two staff members of the parliament watch and ward were dead the kind of conversation that gets a desultory bunch to sit in rapt attention mouths agape none did because of the men and women who stand guard at the gates often at the receiving end of glares and surly behaviour because theyve done a thorough job of checking someone strangers in the world of the wellprotected indian parliament that business got done sooner than expectedreuterslatecomers like this writer and only by a few minutes were informed while walking in through security checks that both houses had been adjourned for the day reutersthe cars drew up they left four years on much has happened in the bizarre parliament attack case its a thankless job most timesreutersjust as this writer was walking in through the gates on that fateful day a woman crpf constable stationed to carry out security checks one of the regulars commented on how she had not had a single day off for several weeks and clothes for washing had piled up at homereutersthat casual comment stands out too as we salute the men and women who put their lives on the line to ensure that the rest of us came out of there alive like the moments of sheer terror there are so many stories to tell that moment would have caught most people off guard the delhi high court later acquitted geelani and afsan and the supreme court upheld that judgment that changed within minutes nevertheless had the five terrorists succeeded in what they came to do they would have had as sitting ducks more than 200 people including then deputy prime minister lk advani and a pantheon of union ministers that in fact there were six men and one had managed to get inside the main building loaded with explosivesreuterstwo hours after the attack began when people inside were allowed to troop out into the compound many stole more than a peep at the dead mangled bodies of the assailants if only to make sure none had gotten away some like this writer decided to go in anyway and find out what was cooking at an opposition leaders meeting in samajwadi party chief mulayam singh yadavs