India Has A History Of Airplane Hijacks, But These Are Among The Most Terrifying
The friendly skies are not only the safest but fastest way to travel. But when there's a knock of danger, the feeling of helplessness rattles the soul of humanity. This very feeling still remains in the hearts of survivors of the 1986 Pan AM Flight 73 that was hijacked by heavily-armed terrorists in Karachi, who will be reminded of that unfateful day once again while watching 'Neerja,' the much-awaited biographical movie that is getting released tomorrow.
However, Pan AM hijack was not just one of the hijacking events that took the entire nation by storm. India has also witnessed Kandhar hijack and others in the past. Here we take a look at the most terrifying hijacking events that took place in the history of India's air transportation.
1986 Pan AM Hijack
The biographical movie Neerja is based on this hijack that happened in the 1986. While 20 of the passengers were killed during the hijacking, lives of 359 others were saved by the courage shown by the then Pan AM purser Neerja Bhanot, who first hid the passports of all passengers so that the hijackers could not identify their nationalities.
After 17 hours, when the terrorists started firing, it was Neerja who opened an emergency exit and let everyone through. However, she was shot dead while sending a group of children off the plane. No wonder she was later regarded as the HERO of the Flight 73 and also give Ashok Chakra for this deed.
1971 Indian Airlines Hijack
Will you believe if we tell you that a hijack can take place using toy pistol and wooden grenade? Well, this is not a plot from any Hollywood or Bollywood flick, rather a real-life unfortunate incident that took place on 30 January 1971 when an Indian Airlines Fokker F27 Friendship aircraft named Ganga was hijacked by two Kashmiri militants, Hashim Qureshi and his cousin Ashraf Butt of the JKLF.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, then Foreign Minister of Pakistan rushed to Lahore and met the hijackers and helped them get maximum international publicity. On February 1, he persuaded them to release the crew and passengers who were then sent by road to Amritsar.
1999 Kandahar Hijack
Pakistan-based extremist group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility when Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 with 176 passengers and 15 crew members on board was hijacked 16 years ago, on 24 December 1999.
The terror group demanded release three militants - Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Maulana Masood Azhar. They also stabbed one hostage to death and his body thrown on the tarmac as a "warning attack" After a week-long stand-off India agreed to the jailed militants in exchange for the hostages.
1984 Indian Airlines Jetliner Hijack
Seven young Sikh hijackers seized an Indian Airlines jetliner flying from Delhi to Srinagar with 100 passengers on board and took it to UAE. It was related to the secessionist struggle in the Indian state of Punjab. According to a New York Times report, the hijackers were members of the banned All-India Sikh Students Federation and "armed with bombs, pistols and Sikh daggers, threatened to kill all the passengers and blow up the aircraft if their demands were not met." The outfit ended the hijacking after negotiations with the then UAE Defense Minister Rashid Al-Maktoum.
1985 Air India Flight 182 Hijack
This incident is regarded the most tragic aviation disasters of all time and largest mass murder in the Canadian history. The Air India 182 Kanishka from Toronto via Montreal and London to New Delhi exploded off the coast of Ireland as it was prepping to land at Heathrow airport in London, killing all 329 people on board - 82 of the victims were children and 280 were Canadian citizens.
Canadian law enforcement determined that the main suspects in the bombing were members of the Sikh militant group Babbar Khalsa. Only one person - Inderjit Singh Reyat has been convicted of involvement in the bombing. He pleaded guilty in 2003 and received a five-year sentence.
(Image 1: Thinkstock, Image 2: AP, Image 3: Wikimedia, Image 4: Wikimedia)
However, Pan AM hijack was not just one of the hijacking events that took the entire nation by storm. India has also witnessed Kandhar hijack and others in the past. Here we take a look at the most terrifying hijacking events that took place in the history of India's air transportation.
1986 Pan AM Hijack
The biographical movie Neerja is based on this hijack that happened in the 1986. While 20 of the passengers were killed during the hijacking, lives of 359 others were saved by the courage shown by the then Pan AM purser Neerja Bhanot, who first hid the passports of all passengers so that the hijackers could not identify their nationalities.
After 17 hours, when the terrorists started firing, it was Neerja who opened an emergency exit and let everyone through. However, she was shot dead while sending a group of children off the plane. No wonder she was later regarded as the HERO of the Flight 73 and also give Ashok Chakra for this deed.
1971 Indian Airlines Hijack
Will you believe if we tell you that a hijack can take place using toy pistol and wooden grenade? Well, this is not a plot from any Hollywood or Bollywood flick, rather a real-life unfortunate incident that took place on 30 January 1971 when an Indian Airlines Fokker F27 Friendship aircraft named Ganga was hijacked by two Kashmiri militants, Hashim Qureshi and his cousin Ashraf Butt of the JKLF.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, then Foreign Minister of Pakistan rushed to Lahore and met the hijackers and helped them get maximum international publicity. On February 1, he persuaded them to release the crew and passengers who were then sent by road to Amritsar.
1999 Kandahar Hijack
Pakistan-based extremist group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen claimed responsibility when Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 with 176 passengers and 15 crew members on board was hijacked 16 years ago, on 24 December 1999.
The terror group demanded release three militants - Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Maulana Masood Azhar. They also stabbed one hostage to death and his body thrown on the tarmac as a "warning attack" After a week-long stand-off India agreed to the jailed militants in exchange for the hostages.
1984 Indian Airlines Jetliner Hijack
Seven young Sikh hijackers seized an Indian Airlines jetliner flying from Delhi to Srinagar with 100 passengers on board and took it to UAE. It was related to the secessionist struggle in the Indian state of Punjab. According to a New York Times report, the hijackers were members of the banned All-India Sikh Students Federation and "armed with bombs, pistols and Sikh daggers, threatened to kill all the passengers and blow up the aircraft if their demands were not met." The outfit ended the hijacking after negotiations with the then UAE Defense Minister Rashid Al-Maktoum.
1985 Air India Flight 182 Hijack
This incident is regarded the most tragic aviation disasters of all time and largest mass murder in the Canadian history. The Air India 182 Kanishka from Toronto via Montreal and London to New Delhi exploded off the coast of Ireland as it was prepping to land at Heathrow airport in London, killing all 329 people on board - 82 of the victims were children and 280 were Canadian citizens.
Canadian law enforcement determined that the main suspects in the bombing were members of the Sikh militant group Babbar Khalsa. Only one person - Inderjit Singh Reyat has been convicted of involvement in the bombing. He pleaded guilty in 2003 and received a five-year sentence.
(Image 1: Thinkstock, Image 2: AP, Image 3: Wikimedia, Image 4: Wikimedia)
Source: http://www.gizmodo.in/indiamodo/India-Has-A-History-Of-Airplane-Hijacks-But-These-Are-Among-The-Most-Terrifying/articleshow/51043128.cms
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