New Delhi: Three days before the Budget session of Parliament resumes after a three- week break, alarm bells went ringing in the security establishments on April 4 following a distress call from within the high-security complex about a terrorist attack.

With the memories of December 13, 2001, attack still fresh in mind, police reinforcements, ambulances, firetenders and bomb disposal squads were rushed to Parliament House after the call was received by Police Control Room at around 09:30 hours (IST) claiming that four MPs had been hurt in a terrorist action, police sources said.

Commandos and other personnel deployed outside the complex took positions and the area was cordoned off, they said.

The panic situation continued for sometime before it turned out that the call was part of a drill carried out to check the response of the police and other security agencies before the recommencement of Parliament session.

A similar drill was carried out on February 14, just three days ahead of the Budget session of Parliament, when the PCR received three calls claiming that terrorists had struck at the complex.

PTI