Friday, December 16 2005 13:03 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: A security alert was sounded in Parliament today (Dec 16, 2005) following a bomb threat when both houses were in session forcing their adjournment and evacuation of the entire complex.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had just finished his meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in his office in Parliament house when the alert was sounded and he along with other leaders were escorted out of the complex. He is now in his South Block office.

Siren was sounded and sniffer dogs and bomb squads were pressed into service to detect any suspicious object.

Security forces in and around Parliament went on high alert.

As Parliament was in session, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee adjourned the House at around 11:45 am and advised the members to vacate the building.

In Rajya Sabha, Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat suddenly appeared in the House when the deputy Chairman K Rehman Khan was in the Chair, and adjourned the house till 1300 hrs five minutes before the Question Hour was scheduled to get over.

Members of the media were also asked to vacate the premises as the security forces sanitised the building. All roads leading to Parliament and the neighbouring South and North blocks housing the Prime Minister's Office, Defence, Home and Finance Ministries were sealed.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Sri Prakash Jaiswal said there was an information about a bomb being placed in Parliament.

Asked if information about the bomb had come from the US embassy, he declined to reveal the source, saying an inquiry was going on.

BJP leader Sushma Swaraj told reporters outside the Parliament House that she had been told that the American embassy had informed the IB that there could be a bomb in Parliament Complex.

Tourism Minister Renuka Chowdhury said that the situation was under control and there was no need to get panicked.

Most of the members moved to the Parliament library after the information was received.

Asked whether the US Embassy tipped off the security agencies about the threat, Press Spokesperson at the mission David Kennedy said, "We do not discuss security issues in detail. You have to refer to the government of India for any further details".