IC 814 PASSENGER RECALLED THINKING HIJACKERS WERE SHOOTING A MOVIE, ASKED THEM FOR WHISKEY AND GOT YELLED AT: ‘I PUT MY GLASS DOWN’

Vijay Varma plays the lead role in IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack. (Image: Netflix/YT)

The harrowing hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight IC 814 became a topic of discussion again after the recent release of the Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. The show not only recreates the events inside the hijacked aircraft, but also narrates the backroom decision-making by Indian authorities, and the week-long negotiations with the terrorists that eventually led to the release of the hostages. Three high-profile terrorists were released from Indian prisons in exchange of the hostages, and the incident was seen as a dent on Indian pride.

One of the passengers aboard that ill-fated flight, UB Bhat, also wrote a book about his experiences. He spoke at an event conducted at the Bangalore International Centre on the two-decade anniversary of the incident. Bhat was joined by former R&AW chief AS Dulat, and one of the negotiators, Anand Arni. During the chat, he recalled the unusual absence of security personnel on ground in Kathmandu, and said that he didn't initially believe that the flight had been hijacked. IC 814 was first diverted to Amritsar, and from there to Dubai, and finally to Kandahar.

Also read - IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack: In the best Indian show of the year, Anubhav Sinha puts ‘babugiri’ on blast

Asked about his initial response to the hijacking, Bhat said, "The flight was to take off from Kathmandu at 2:30 pm, as per schedule. It took off at 4:30, and we were looking forward to Christmas Eve parties in Delhi. On that day, at the Kathmandu airport, there was absolutely no security. All machines were down, as if it was pre-planned. We later understood that. Anybody could walk in and walk out. It was a shock to me, because I'd been travelling to Kathmandu for 10 years. But nevertheless, we went to the aircraft, and the flight took off for Delhi."

The IC 814 hijacking took place in 1999.

He continued, "Within 10 minutes, we were on course, and we were served drinks first, then food. After about 20 minutes, we were all busy with our drinks. Suddenly, there was a commotion. I was in the last row, and just opposite me, I saw a masked person with a knife in his hand, shouting, 'Aap sab baithe raho, koi uthega toh goli maarenge'. He had a grenade in his hand. I'd been travelling for so long, I thought they were shooting for a movie. I raised my hand and asked for another scotch. He got irritated, perhaps, and he shouted at me. That's when I realised something is happening, and I put my glass down."

The hijackers agreed to release the passengers on December 31, after Indian authorities agreed to the release of three terrorists. One hostage, Rupin Katyal, was killed during the incident.

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2024-09-17T09:03:57Z dg43tfdfdgfd