The sun had just set on a winter day. Unknown to all but a handful of people, a drama was unfolding in the sky - Indian Airlines flight IC 814 from Kathmandu to Delhi had been hijacked.
A PTI reporter got wind of it and the news agency brought the news to the world with a one-line flash at 6 p.m. on December 24, 1999 in what turned out to be a 8-day long ordeal for the entire nation.
It was a time when social media was non-existent and live television in its infancy; newspapers and TV channels relied entirely on news agencies for breaking news.
With interest revived in the hijacking after the release of a Netflix docudrama series, PTI is reproducing here the entire sequence of stories — filed in short bursts as and when new information emerged — on that fateful day. It shows how the fuzzy picture of 6 pm gradually attained focus.
PTI reporters provided grist to the story from New Delhi, Kathmandu, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Islamabad, Lahore, London and Dubai where the plane finally landed at an air force base, about 8.5 hours after the hijackers had taken control.
We reproduce here the entire sequence including the initials of the reporters and editors, as well as the date-time stamp. For example, 12241800 refers to Dec 24, 1800 hrs or 6 p.m.
IA plane hijacked
New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) An Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu to Delhi was hijacked today. The flight IC-814 was on its way to Delhi from Kathmandu and is said to have been hijacked shortly after 1700 hours. Preliminary reports said that hijackers were diverting the plane to a neighbouring country, probably Lahore in Pakistan. Hijacked IA plane refused permission to land in Lahore The Pakistani authorities this evening refused permission to the hijacked Indian Airlines plane to land at Lahore airport.
The plane asked "permission to land but we have refused", a person manning the crisis control room at the airport told PTI over telephone. He, however, refused to say where the plane was. Pakistan's Joint Secretary, Defence, Sayed Ejaz Waqar Akbar Naqvi said he was not aware of any such development. IA Airbus with 185 on board hijacked
New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) An Indian Airlines Airbus carrying 185 people on board, including a crew of 11, was today hijacked shortly after take-off from Kathmandu on its way to New Delhi.
The whereabouts of the hijacked Airbus A-300 were not not immediately known but some reports said the hijackers wanted the commandeered aircraft to go to Pakistan.
PTI correspondent reported from Islamabad that the Pakistani authorities had refused permission to the aircraft to land at Lahore airport. However, Pakistani Joint Secretary, Defence, Sayed Ejaz Waguar Akbar Nakvi told PTI he was not not aware of any such development. The aircraft took off from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at 1625 hours, air traffic control sources said.
The identity of the hijackers, said to be armed, or their number could not be ascertained immediately. The airports at Chandigarh, Jammu and Amritsar have been put on high alert following the hijacking, official sources said. Pakistani authorities have closed the airspace to prevent the plane from entering its territory, official sources said.
Latif Moghal, an official at the Lahore airport, said the plane was still in Indian airspace. Airport sources said that the hijackers numbered five. The plane was hijacked while overflying Lucknow and was heading towards Amritsar or Lahore after being seized. Capt D Saran was in command with co-pilot Rajender and Flight Engineer Jagia.
The aircraft has fuel for four hours, the sources said.
A special cell has been opened at Delhi Airport to provide the latest information on the hijacking to the public. Hijacked Plane hovering over Amritsar
Amritsar, Dec 24 (PTI) The hijacked Indian Airlines plane with just 20 minutes of fuel left was hovering over Raja Sansi airport here and the hijackers were forcing the pilot not to land at any airport in India failing which they would start killing the passengers, duty officer at the airport told PTI.
The hijackers asked the pilot not to land anywhere in India and wanted the plane to land only at Lahore airport, he said. They warned the pilot if he did not obey the directions, they would start killing the passengers. Crises management group supervising steps to deal with hijacking
New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) The Centre's Crises Management Group headed by Cabinet Secretary Prabhat Kumar is supervising measures to deal with the hijacking of the Indian Airlines aircraft in mid-air today.
The group, which has the Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Civil Aviation Secretary and Secretary (Security) are monitoring the situation minute by minute, official sources said.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is being kept informed about the hijacking developments, they added. Sources at Mumbai airport said the flight was delayed and left Kathmandu over two hours behind schedule. It was airborne at 1625 hrs and scheduled to land at Delhi airport around 1725 hours instead of 1510 hours, they said.
Published - September 07, 2024 12:53 pm IST
