23.12.08

The IC-814 hijacking anniversary is here


On December 24, 1999, Indian Airlines IC-814 with 179 passengers and 11 crew members was hijacked by five men while returning from Kathmandu to New Delhi. The plane landed at Amritsar’s Raja Sansi International Airport after Pakistan initially refused it permission to land. It was then taken to Lahore and Dubai. Amid high drama, the aircraft landed at Kandahar in Afghanistan. After an eight-day ordeal, the hijacked passengers got freedom. The move came after the release of three terrorists lodged in Indian jails—Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar, Ahmed Zargar and Sheikh Ahmed Omar Sayeed. To intimidate the Indian authorities, the hijackers had killed Rupen Katyal (25) and stabbed Satnam Singh, who survived.

No comments: