DECEMBER 24 1999

10 yrs on, cops fail to nail those caught for funding Kandahar

2010-12-01T05:07:00.000-08:00

This is no compliment to the Mumbai Police. More than a decade after the Kandahar plane hijacking, two men - already convicted for their role in it - are among three recently acquitted by the Sessions Court.

The trio was being tried for the theft of a van used in a bank heist that allegedly funded the hijack.

The prosecution’s case for the vehicle robbery before the City Sessions Court failed because the sole eyewitness could not be traced. This acquittal has also put the connected case of the subsequent bank robbery at risk.

The prosecution’s story is that on October 6, 1999, two armed men robbed a white Maruti van belonging to Mohan Bangera.

The hijacked plane was forced to land in Afghanistan

It was parked next to the Orlem Church bus-stop at Malad and the driver was fixing the van’s rear-view mirror when Abdul Latif, Bhopalmann Khan and Mushtaq Ahmed Azmi allegedly dragged him out at gunpoint and fled with the vehicle.

Latif and Khan were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 by a special Patiala court for their role in the IC-814 hijack.

In the second case, the trial for which is under way, the prosecution alleges that that the trio used this car to rob Borivali’s Maharashtra bank of Rs 7.72 lakh on October 30, 1999.

The bank heist was allegedly pulled off along with three Pakistani nationals and the car was later found abandoned. On December 30, the police arrested five accused - one Pakistani is still wanted - from Jogeshwari’s Behram Baug.

They recovered Rs 1.72 lakh from them. The remaining Rs 7 lakh is believed to have been sent to the hijackers in Pakistan for the hijacking.

The police had also recovered two AK-56 rifles, 30 live rounds, hand grenades and rocket launchers from them.

Success in the second case is partly dependent on the first. The prosecution could not prove the car theft because the police are unable to trace the sole eyewitness, the driver.

The owner of the car Bangera has passed away. The testimonies of a panch witness and three cops weren’t of any help in establishing the case. Assistant Sessions Judge M J Mirza on Tuesday acquitted the trio.

Article source : Mumbai mirror

S M Krishna to visit Pakistan on July 15

2010-05-11T02:35:00.000-07:00

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna will visit Islamabad on July 15 for talks with his Pakistan counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi to work out the modalities for carrying forward the dialogue process to discuss outstanding issues in an atmosphere of mutual trust.

After a 25-minute telephonic conversation between the two ministers today, Krishna told reporters that Qureshi had invited him to visit Islamabad on July 15 and he looked forward to the talks.

"The Foreign Minister of Pakistan has invited me to visit Islamabad on July 15. So I am planning to visitIslamabad for my talks with Foreign Minister Qureshi," he said.

"I am looking forward to these talks and let us hope that these talks will help in bringing our countries closer together and bringing between the two countries the cordiality we desire and let us hope that our efforts will be fruitful," he said.

Krishna said he and Qureshi will work out the methodology to carry forward the dialogue between the two countries so that all outstanding issues could be discussed in an atmosphere of "mutual trust".

He said the Prime Ministers of both the countries had, after their meeting in Thimpu last month, asked the Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries to meet as soon as possible and discuss ways to reduce "trust deficit".

On Thursday, Krishna had said in Rajya Sabha that India had decided to have a dialogue as there has been a "transformation" in ties with assurance coming at the level of Pakistan Prime Minister that India's "core concern" with regard to terrorism would be addressed adequately.

In Islamabad, Qureshi today made it clear that the two sides were going to the talks with an open mind and positive approach without having any false hopes.

"I will not create any false hopes. I am an optimist yet a realist. I recognise the challenges, I recognise the difficulties. I recognise the trust deficit. It is an uphill task. Don't expect miracles overnight. Good thing is that on both sides we have democracies and democracies believe in negotiations, talks and parleys," he said adding "we had a very good discussion and we will build on it. There is no quick fixes."

His response came on being asked about the two sides reportedly having come close to a deal on issues related to Siachen and Sir Creek during the earlier dialogue process.

Qureshi said he would be seeking guidance from Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on the substantive issues.

He said the approach of Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Gilani was "very productive" and their interaction in Thimphu was "frank, cordial and forward looking".

"We will discuss all issues of concern to India and Pakistan. There was no discussion on structure. I am presuming both sides are comfortable. Structure is in place," Qureshi said.

"We will have to sit and resolve. We will not allow acts of terrorism to impede the process. We will have to build on it to a level that it (dialogue process) becomes irreversible," he said.

He said there was no bar on bringing to the table issues of mutual concern like the water dispute.

Qureshi said he had seen the Indian minister's statement in Rajya Sabha last week which he considered "positive and forward looking".

Ahead of Krishna's visit, Home Minister P Chidambaram is slated to visit Islamabad on June 26 to attend a meeting of Home Ministers from SAARC countries. Qureshi said Chidambaram would meet with his Pakistani counterpart on the sidelines of the SAARC meeting.

The composite dialogue process covering Kashmir and other outstanding issues was stalled in the wake of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai.

The Singh-Gilani meeting on the sidelines of SAARC Summit in Thimphu was the first substantive dialogue between the two countries since they met in Sharm-el-Shaikh in Egypt in July last year.

Bringing in thaw in bilateral relations, Singh and Gilani in Thimphu had agreed to resume dialogue at the level of Foreign Ministers soon that could lead to parleys on all outstanding issues like terrorism, Kashmir and Siachen.

The two leaders had entrusted the Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries with the responsibility of restoring confidence and trust in the relations that could pave the way for substantive dialogue on outstanding issues of mutual concern.

Singh had then conveyed India's deep and continuing concern over the fact that 26/11 mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed was being allowed to roam freely and engage in language and communications that are certainly not conducive to the atmosphere of peace and stability.

Gilani had assured Singh that his government was making all efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks and not to allow Pakistani soil to be used for terrorism against India.

Judge keeps in mind Kandahar case to hang Kasab

2010-05-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons cited by the 26/11 special court to award death penalty on Ajmal Kasab for his role in terror attacks was that keeping him alive would be a lingering danger to India, keeping in mind the 1999 Kandahar plane hijacking case.

"Keeping Kasab alive would be a constant and lingering danger to the society and Indian government," Judge M L Tahilayani said and cited the December 1999 Kandahar plane hijack case in which three dreaded terrorists were released by India to rescue the passengers of the flight.

"If Kasab is kept alive, then this situation may occur again," the judge said adding the recent trend of terrorism is evolving.

The court also said the probability of Kasab reforming was ruled out considering the barbaric manner in which he has behaved.

Kasab was awarded the death penalty on five counts of murder, abetment to murder, conspiracy, waging war against India and committing terror acts.

He was further sentenced to life imprisonment on five counts of attempt to murder, conspiracy to wage war, collecting arms to wage war, kidnapping with an intention to murder and causing explosion to endanger life.

IC 814 Hijack Documentary

2007-09-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

Hijackers

2007-09-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

Five hijackers clockwise from top
1.Sunny Ahmed Kazi
2.Shahid Akhtar Sayed
3.Ibrahim Azhar
4.Mistri Zahur Ibrahim
5.Shakir

Nukkad -My experiences aboard IC-814

2007-09-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

I was travelling along with my younger brother Vikram, who happens to be a Final

Profession, MBBS student at Govt. Medical

college, Patiala.

Dec 24, 1999

The first sight of those hijackers, was a little hard to digest, and so I

continued eating the food served in the airplane

and waited for the Pilot to announce that it was a (christmas-eve!!) joke. The

pilot's voice crackled over the expectant

atmosphere, "This is the captain speaking. We have been hijacked. It is in your

best interests to co-operate with the

hijackers".

What ensued is all nebulous... Our food trays were chucked away, we were asked

to bend over and wait. The airhostesses

proceeded to put away the food trolleys. Then strange things began happening.

The airhostesses were instructed to take out

all the luggage kept in the overhead cabins and throw them in the aisles. Then

they proceeded to throw all the accumulated

luggage into the executive class, and the people in the executive class were

shoved into the economy sector. I looked from

the corner of my eyes, in an attempt to look at the hijackers. There were two of

them, both had black Balaclava (monkey caps)

on, and held one pistol each. One of them had a grenade and was in a ready

stance to use it if need be... Sinister enough

to scare the living daylights out of me, and the rest of the passengers.

They talked about making it the 'Millennium flight', but the millennium was

still a week away, I thought!!! Little did I

know that we were to approach the millennium, in that very flight.

The airhostesses were next instructed to blindfold everybody. The took the cloth

placed on the backrest of the seats, and

made feeble attempts to tie them on the eyes of all the men. The women were

spared. A proper search was made if any one was

in possession of any weapons or arms. Another hijacker appeared with a knife in

his hand. The lights were switched off.

We whispered to each other, how many were there?. I gave Vikram a commentary of

who was where, and what were they doing.

I looked at my watch and realized we were already past the expected arrival

time. I wondered if my parents knew what was

happening. I hoped not!!!

We waited and waited, and then at close to 7:00pm, we began to descend. I was

terrified that we would crash, but with a

jarring jolt we landed and we let out a sigh of relief. Still don't know what

they want. But we were somewhere!!

Sometime later we took off again. Were we disappointed!! we wondered where were

we going, and why didn't they go there

directly??? Time passed. The hijackers kept running up and down the aisle

shouting at someone, making someone bend down

further, berating someone for adjusting his blindfold.

Dec 25, 1999

We landed again, and then took off, and then landed yet again, and finally the

next morning landed at yet another

destination and the engines were switched off. Each landing made me wince, as I

anticipated a crash, and each take off,

made my heart sink, that yet again we were aflight, going to God knows which

destination.

We had no idea who these hijackers were, and what they wanted by the second day

morning. But slowly as they spoke, we

realized that they used a lot of urdu words, and guessed that they were

kashmiris. We had had no food, and were short

on water. We were asked to safeguard our glasses, as no more would be given.

The hijackers rearranged all the passengers. The made the couples sit in the

very rear, and the separated the men

travelling alone. There were kids on board, and they didn't realize the gravity

of the situation. We were shifted to the

seat right next to last exit. I took hold of the airline's emergency manual

which explained how to open the exit doors,

just in case!!!!

We agreed that there were four of them, and they told us nothing as to where we

were. Someone said Dubai, and someone

said Pakistan. We hoped it was Dubai!! The hijackers didn't let anybody move.

They mandated that everyone who wanted water

or go to the toilet, raise his hand, and then they would decide they would allow

it.

Soon we exhausted the drinking water, and the airhostesses distributed beer

cans, and tonic water. The toilets had become

dysfunctional with no water in the taps or the flush, and it was becoming

increasingly difficult to use them We decided

to take in minimum water. We had had no food for atleast 30 hours now.

We talked to our neighbors, and introduced ourselves. We heard about this guy

who had got off, leaving his newly wed wife

aboard. We were to learn later that his name was Ripen Katyal, and he hadn't

left her alone, he had been killed. But at that

point we were oblivious to all this, and saw Rachna move around with another

newly we couple. They took good care of her.

The hijackers assured us that they were trying to procure food for us, but

because of Ramazan, it was difficult. Finally

at nightfall, food was pulled up. First the spoons were distributed with the

instructions to retain them as no more would

be made available. The spoons read 'Specially made for Ariana'. I was trying to

recall which country did Ariana belong to,

when my eyes fell on the Arabic script below the english one, which read 'Afghan

watan', and it sank in that we were in

Afghanistan. This knowledge, made us feel all the more desolate. Food was

distributed and there was rice with a little

dryfruit thrown in. Keeping our precious spoons and glasses at safe place, we

fell into a troubled sleep, but not before

realize that it was Christmas...

Dec 26, 1999

Woke up in the wee hours of the morning. The stench of the toilets had

transgressed the confines of the toilet and was

an assault on the senses of the passengers unfortunate enough to be sitting in

the last rows. We were not far away, and

slowly we got used to the everpresent odors.

Breakfast was brought in, scrambled eggs with Naan. People talked to their

neighbors for comfort. The eggs were dripping

in oil, and I vomited after a few bites. Vikram tried to convince me to eat some

but the nausea had set in and I couldn't

eat anything. I went to the doctor and got a few medicines from her. I took one

tablet with minimal water, and immediately

proceeded to throw up again. I lay back, thinking about what my parents would be

going through. Nothing else bothered me

more than this thought. What would finally happen to the two of us, would happen

instantaneous, but what my parents and

family would go through would be really torturous. I started feeling immensely

guilty coz it was my idea to go to

Kathmandu and take Vikram along.

The hijackers had started to relax a little. They chatted up a few people, and

seemed to talk with ease. Then in the

afternoon, they came into the economy class and proceeded to tell us that the

Indian Govt. was not in the least interested

in our release. The number of foreigners on board was close to 15-20 and already

their govt. had sent delegates for their

release, we were informed. But the Indian Govt. was not the least bothered. They

did manage to accomplish what they wanted.

People started talking about how lousy our govt. was, and the general atmosphere

was of discontent. They proceeded to tell

us about the atrocities that the Indian Army had inflicted on the Kashmiris.

They maintained that Kashmir belonged neither

to India nor to Pakistan, and that their `maqsad' (intent) was to liberate

Kashmir. The kashmiris in Indian jails, according

to them were innocent people.

By nightfall, the atmosphere had again become a little cool. Food was served

again. The naans and the non-veg.(don't know

what it was!!) was becoming unbearable. So people tried for vegetarian food. It

was just one orange for two people. We tried

eating the non-veg. food, and gave up after a few bites, though we saved it

incase we need it later on. Water was scarce.

We drank a little, and then saved a little. Lights were switched off, a clear

signal that we were expected to sleep, and

sleep we did.

Dec 27, 1999

We had lost track of time. Another morning, some more oily breakfast. We didn't

take the egg this time. Opted to share an

orange between ourselves. The hijackers seemed irritated. So were the

passengers. The Indian delegation was scheduled to

arrive soon, and then maybe something would happen. We waited and waited. Talked

to our neighbors about who did they have

back home. What were they doing in Kathmandu? We were surrounded by couples who

had gone to Kathmandu on their honeymoon,

and now they were here.

The hijackers came out in the afternoon, and told us that the Indian delegated

had come here to shop for dry fruit, not

for our release. The made fun of Jaswant Singh, and of the delegates in general.

They also seemed to irritated by the UN

officials. They talked a lot against the UN turning a blind eye to the muslims

being killed in Chechneya. The hijackers

were an educated lot. The conversed in English with the foreigners.

There were a few light moments too. One of the Japanese passengers seemed to

have accepted this as a way of life. She was

to attend a conference in India and continued preparing for the same. She had

hidden a bottle of vodka at the back, and at

the pretence of going to the toilet she would have a swig or two. She had an

alarm clock and would set it up to wake in the

morning, and also used to try and exercise a little bit. The hijackers tried to

make her listen to them, even forcibly made

her sit down in her seat, but she wouldn't listen. They let men go to the

backside and smoke a little, but forbade the same

for women. When she tried to go they made her sit back. So she smuggled a

cigarette to the toilet. Finally they gave up,

and she continued with her life.

Another day went by, and we still waited. The days seemed to merge with each

other, and we fell asleep again, in the hope

that tomorrows dawn may bring some better news.

Dec 28, 1999

Tuesday morning. The toilets had become unbearable. People going to use them

would carry the stink with them. A few people

had gone to the executive section to get medicines from their luggage. Some had

got perfumes and deodorants and proceeded to spray themselves with the same to

overcome the stench. We people sitting in the extreme end, couldn't do much.

Food today seemed to be a problem. People didn't want to eat non-veg. as it was

Tuesday and very little veg. food was

available. So some people compromised. Many others were insistent on veg. food.

Many had to go without food. Even in the

face of death, some people didn't adjust. We took our share of non-veg. food,

and proceeded to add it to our stock of

food. Very few people ate the food.

The hijackers seemed to be getting nowhere with the delegation. They would

incite the people onboard against the Indian

Govt. Vikram talked of Stockholm syndrome, and it seemed to be setting in.

People seemed to identify with the hijackers

and their problems, and talked to them about how they were ashamed to be

Indians. Some of them even went to the extent of

promising the hijackers that once they got off the plane, they would also do

something for the Kashmiri cause.

We tried to stay aloof, and hardly conversed with them unless absolutely

necessary. Food was brought in for the night.

People again proceeded, to fight for veg. food. We took our share, and went to

sleep. Very uncomfortable sleep. I tried to

make it comfortable for Vikram, but due to his 6ft tall frame, he had a tough

time. Finally I gave up, and fell asleep.

Dec 29, 1999

Two of the four toilets had become un-enterable. I used the other one. With

great difficulty I got out without throwing up.

Came back to my seat, and by force of habit, looked at my watch. Only 7:30 am

(IST). At 8:00am the hijackers started to

rouse the people from their sleep, something they had never done so far. 'Bahut

so liye' they said and seemed angry.

Our gravest fears were confirmed when they told us that all talks had broken

off. The Indian Govt. didn't want to free us.

They claimed that the Indian Govt. thought this was a joke. So to show the

Indian Govt. what was in store for them, they

are going to kill the hostages one by one. A very scary thought indeed... coz

the first question which came to everyone's

mind was 'Which one first???'.

The doors of the aircraft were opened to allow fresh air in. The stench now

filled the major part of the aircraft. The

fresh air was welcome relief. It was only later on we learnt that the doors were

opened because they couldn't kill in

closed places.

No one spoke. Grim faces looked at each other. We wondered how they would decide

who first. Vikram guessed that they

would begin with passengers travelling alone. Some women silently prayed. We

waited, but this time the wait was different.

By late afternoon, one of the hijackers, informed us that the Taliban chief, the

Amir, had 'requested' them to resume

talks, and they couldn't refuse him, coz they respected him a lot. So talks

would resume. The doors were shut again. The

stench was more welcome than the prospect of imminent death.

The hijackers seemed to be in better mood. Food was brought in. This time people

didn't want to eat. Pepsi's were

distributed. One pepsi for two people. 'Made in Pakistan' the Pepsi cans read.

Suddenly the hijackers made an announcement that all sick people should move to

the executive class. Some people were not

well, and they went. And then some pretended to be ill. They were all sent

ahead. This seemed to demoralize the people who

were left behind. The question which seemed upper most in everyone's mind was, '

Will they be released first?'.

The passengers were rearranged again. We found ourselves amidst new neighbors.

As the rearrangements were finished, one

of the guys at the back broke down. Now this was an ordinary occurrence, coz

time after time, one or the other person

would break down, generally women, and they would be comforted and told to be

patient and strong. But this person who

had broken down was our erstwhile neighbor. He got hold of one of the hijackers

and begged him to shoot him. He said he

couldn't bear this strange suspense any more. My heart went out to him, and I

started to cry for the very first time

during this entire ordeal. Vikram, comforted me and asked me to be brave, and

control myself. The hijacker told him that

he would be sent home, and that he would ensure the same. He gave him what he

called a 'muslims promise'. That very person

who was threatening to kill people one by one, coz his demands were not being

met.

We found our new seats very stuffy. Changed over to the window (shut of course)

seats. And discovered this person who was

sitting alone and crying. One of girls was calling out to him from her seat, and

asking him to take heart. I went and sat

with him and talked to him for some time. He had been there with Ripen Katyal

and had seen him being killed. He was

terrified, and alone. It would have been so difficult to have seen so much and

then have to sit all by himself. After

some time, Vikram took over and spent some with him. He was better by nightfall.

We talked about his family, and he told

us that he had a four month daughter back home. Finally we again fell asleep,

only thing we could do.

There is one thing I must admit here. I would go to sleep each night with the

hope that when I wake up the next morning,

the hijackers would be gone. I guess it was my way of reassuring myself that

things will be alright, and it is alright to

sleep.

Dec 30 1999

Morning, and the usual hijackers standing poised to greet us. Some food was

brought in. There was milk, and two people

were given one tetrapack to share. The hijackers were in a better mood, and

seemed to be eating well. One of the hijackers

wasn't sleeping well, or so the redness of his eyes seemed to indicate. This was

the seventh day, and I could only think

of the moment when I would open the gates of my residence to step in. It was a

beautiful thought, and I often thought of

it when things seemed a little optimistic.

The people who had been sent to the executive class were sent back, and we went

back to our old seats, and to our previous

neighbours.One of the hijackers said he had good news. About 80% of the talks

were finalized. People cheered. He was the

hero it seemed to them. The hijackers praised the Taliban Govt. no end. They

talked against the Indian govt. and people

were disgruntled with the govt.

Then the announcement was made in the late evening that the talks were finalized

and the Indian Govt. would release 3 people

in exchange for our lives. We were never aware of what the hijackers initial

demands were. They said that within half and

hour of their men being handed to them they would release us. They made us

believe that we would be released by nightfall.

The hostages waited for those men's arrival.

By night, we were still hopeful that today we would be allowed to go, and we

wouldn't have to spend another cold night on

board, encompassed by the stink that seemed to pervade the whole aircraft. Food

was again served. People wanted to be let

off, and didn't want the food. But the food had to be seen to be believed. In

stark contrast to the blue polythene bags we

used to get daily, this food was packed in Red and Orange boxes. Beautiful, for

people who had been starving for days. The

food was too rich for us to take in.There was one burger, one serving of salad,

apple juice, and an pie for sweet. We were

ready to share one box between the two of us, but the hijacker force us both to

take one box each and eat to our hearts

content. But not having eaten for days on end, it was difficult to eat more than

a few bites. Most of the food lay there

untouched.

We waited to hear the 'blessed' plane to land. We expected it to arrive at any

time. But when till late night (or what

seemed late.) it didn't arrive, we fell asleep.

Dec 31, 1999

The hijackers had shown us false hopes too many times, that we were still

skeptic of our fate. Some people were outright

relaxed and wanted to freshen up, and be ready(??) for release. We were given,

thanks to the Taliban Govt. one toothpaste

and toothbrush, to share between two people! When we hadn't brushed for 7days,

one more day would do no harm.

Food was again loaded, and we took some to pass time. The hijackers proceeded to

give us long discourses on Islam and the

present situation in Kashmir, where they painted the Indian army as the culprit.

People were getting impatient. They wanted to be let off. Finally they once

again proceeded to rearrange us, for we hoped

the last time. And then instructed the women to cover their heads, before

getting off. They made everyone take back their

luggage, and check that no belongings were stolen. After everyone was satisfied,

they got ready to get off. One of them

got so carried away, that he shouted to us that he loved us all. He seemed to be

giving a stage performance!! Finally they

left the plane, and all the passengers shouted with joy, and congratulated each

other on our good luck to have escaped.

One of the delegates came aboard, and praised our patience. He told us to check

our baggage for any explosives or

ammunitions, and assured us that soon we will head home. He said that the ladder

will soon be brought in, for us to get

off that ill-fated plane.

We got off, the men first, then the women with their head and faces covered, and

finally the crew. Everyone thanked the

crew for the wonderful way in which they had handled the whole situation. The

captain especially had been a pillar strength.

We were welcomed in Afghanistan by questioning eyes, with men in Afghani suits,

and loads of sophisticated guns on them.

We were ferried to the waiting Indian Airlines plane to be welcomed by Jaswant

Singh himself who went and talked to

everyone without exception and assured us that we will be home shortly.

The flight back was short, and the bonhomie on the plane had to be seen to be

believed. This bunch of people who had

feared, cried and laughed together, were to go back to their normal lives once

again. Who in the world said, 'Normal

is boring!'. Ask us!!

Burger

2007-09-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

Plane hostages recall the terror amid the boredom

The hostages called one hijacker dressed all in black by his nickname, Burger, and within days of commandeering an Indian Airlines jet, he had the 178 passengers and 11 crew members joining in for singing games. He blew hot and cold, depending on his moods

Wednesday, Jan 05, 2000

One of the five hijackers of Indian Airlines Flight 814 last week dressed in black and said his nickname was Burger. A mercurial person, he could be kind at times, ruthless at others, according to interviews with some of the hostages this week in New Delhi.

The adults listened to him recite Urdu poetry. The children called him "Uncle." And a newlywed wife who had a birthday in captivity was grateful when he bought a shawl from a Nepali hostage who dealt in them and presented it to her.

He was the most sympathetic of the five hijackers, and when he walked up and down the aisles holding a gun, he would pause solicitously to chat with passen-gers, who were only allowed to go to the bathroom after asking for permission.

"He was very friendly with everybody," said Ipseeta Menon, 25, who once asked him if he got his nickname because he liked eating hamburgers. (He did not, and the name remains a mystery.)

Cut off as the hostages were, with even the sunlight shut out by the drawn window covers, they thought the masked Burger was a nice guy -- that is until last Thursday morning, when he told them that they would all be killed one by one because the Indian government had refused to meet the hijackers' demands.

As it turned out, this did not happen. The story had a happy ending. Last Friday the hostages were released after India agreed to free three militants who, like the hijackers, were opposed to Indian rule of the Himalayan territory of Kashmir.

But the experience of being trapped on an Airbus jet for eight days has left many of the hostages feeling deeply traumatized.

In interviews, they described days of tedium and moments of terror. They talked of living with the stench of overflowing toilets and of deciding to stop eating solid foods in an effort to avoid the dreaded bathrooms.

And some admit to the strange bond they formed with Burger, the tall, muscular hijacker who was good cop and bad cop all rolled into one.

"He could change from a very sweet person to one who could shoot you within seconds," said Ravi Kollatt, a former merchant marine from Cochin, India. "I could see it in his eyes. They were smiling eyes, but then suddenly they would become small."

The hostages' journey began on Dec. 24. Flight 814 was late, but there was a festive air in Katmandu as they waited to board the plane that would carry them on a hop to New Delhi.

Among them were eight newlywed couples returning from honeymoons in Nepal. Married in arranged matches, they had only begun to get to know each other -- but would soon find themselves tested in a way they had never imagined.

Several passengers said they thought it was a joke when men with guns yelled that they were hijackers. One described a steward pushing a drink cart down the aisle who kept moving when one of the hijackers waved a gun at him. Weren't those pistols and the grenade just fake weapons, like in the movies?

But reality quickly set in.

"When my husband raised his head, they shoved it down roughly," said Suchana Goel, of Bhopal, a newlywed. "We were terrified."

For the first two days the hijackers were jumpy and brusque, hostages said. The plane kept taking off and landing in different places -- the passengers had no idea where.

As they jumped from Amritsar, India, to Lahore, Pakistan, to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and finally, on Dec. 25, to Kandahar, Afghanistan, they were bewildered. Many were blindfolded.

On the harrowing first night, before the plane landed in Dubai, the hijackers picked out a group of strong-looking men and took them into the executive-class compartment, whose occupants had all been moved to economy. Ripen Katyal, 25, a newlywed, was among them.

"Right in front of us they slashed his throat," said K. Keshav Kannan, who was in Nepal on business for his company. "They wanted to make an example."

Only a few knew what had happened. Katyal's new wife, Rachna, sitting in economy, had not heard a thing.

In Dubai, the hijackers released a group of 27 women and children and unloaded Katyal's body. When her husband did not return, Mrs. Katyal got scared.

"Poor thing, she was crying for two days," said Mrs. Menon, herself one of the newlyweds. "They were avoiding her. Then on the third day, Burger said to her, `I am like your elder brother. Your husband has been released in Dubai. You should be happy he is safe and sound.' Rachna never knew he was killed."

Unaware that the hijackers had murdered Katyal, many passengers became chummy with Burger once the plane settled in Kandahar. Though cameras for CNN and BBC were constantly trained on the craft and television stations in India broadcast news of little else, the passengers heard nothing.

One day Burger started a round of joke-telling. He began it with the one about the man in the helicopter who feels cold, asks why the fan is on, stops the propeller and dies. There was weak laughter. Then the captain of the jet picked up the thread and told one, too.

Burger also got them to participate in a singing competition called "antakshri." One passenger would sing part of a song, then the next would have to start a song with the last word in the previous song. There was merriment as young people sang Hindi movie tunes.

Last Wednesday, the sixth day of the incident, the hijackers told the hostages that 35 of them would be exchanged for one militant. Women, children and the elderly were selected for the swap.

One elderly woman refused to leave her grandchildren.

Many of those left behind sobbed, fearing they would be more vulnerable now that many of the weaker people were gone.

But the next morning brought what all the hostages said was the most terrifying moment.

Something had gone badly wrong in the negotiations. The deal had apparently fallen through. And Burger was furious.

People were still asleep, but he wanted to wake them.

First he threw open the doors of the jet and the cold wind swept down the aisles. Then he turned on the lights. Finally he got on the intercom. He told them all to pray to their gods because in half an hour he and his fellow hijackers would begin shooting them. And if anyone so much as moved, he warned, he or she would be killed.

He ordered them all to put their heads down. For hours Mrs. Menon, a dentist, said there was pin-drop silence except for the sound of people weeping. She held onto her husband's hand for comfort.

"At that time, we came to know these people were not to be trusted,'' she said. "We thought the end had really come.''

But that same afternoon, the hostages say, the hijackers came to tell them that they had made a new deal to free all of them.

The next day, New Year's Eve, it was the hijackers who left the plane first. Before climbing down the ladder, Burger turned to the hostages and apologized for what they had done. "We'll meet again,'' he said, waving.

In his final moments with his captives, several of them joked with him.

"If you see us in an airport lounge and you are on a similar mission, will you tip us off so we can stay off the flight?'' one asked. He promised he would. And then he was gone, down a ladder to a waiting car that whisked him away on a vanishing mission.

'Clinton did what no indian minister bothered to do'

2007-09-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

The Katyals with Bill Clinton

When the American Ambassador in India Richard Celeste contacted me on March 16 and told me that the President of the United States of America wants to meet Rachna, my wife Kusum and myself, I did not know what to say. We were still mourning the death of Rupin Katyal and here was an invitation from the most powerful man on earth to meet him.

Newly married, Rupin and Rachna were on a holiday to Nepal. They were returning to Delhi by Indian Airlines flight IC 814 when militants hijacked it. Rupin was the only passenger to be killed by the hijackers.

I consulted my wife and other members of the family and decided that we should meet President Bill Clinton and tell him about our feelings and the trauma that we had undergone in the last three and a half months. Over the next few days, we were in constant touch with Celeste and kept track of the developments.

Eventually, the meeting was fixed for March 21 at seven in the evening. In the morning, Ambassador Celeste called me up and told me that he would send a vehicle to pick us up for the meeting. I told him that there was no need for him to do that as Gurgaon was too far from the venue of the meeting. Instead, I asked them to pick me up from Hotel Radisson [near the Indira Gandhi International Airport].

Half an hour before the meeting, one Brian from the American embassy arrived to pick us up from the hotel. At the Maurya Sheraton, Richard Celeste received us at the porch. He took us to Chandragupta, the Presidential suite.

The meeting lasted precisely for fifteen minutes, from 7 to 7.15 pm. Clinton expressed his heartfelt condolences on the brutal death of Rupin. We were so touched by his kind gesture that we all broke down while narrating the sordid incident in which we lost our dear Rupin. President Clinton assured us that the American government would do everything in its power to ensure that the hijackers were brought to book and punished. He condemned terrorism and said that the killers of Rupin would not be spared.

We all told him in detail about the sufferings that we had undergone since we lost Rupin. Rachna told him how the hijackers kept her in the dark about the death of her husband. They told her time and again that he had been injured and was in a hospital in Dubai.

I had taken with me a book entitled The Inside Story and marked certain portions for his attention. In particular, I showed him the pages where the author had referred to my son. "My son kept on asking for water and they did not give him water. He cried, 'papa pani, papa pani'. Instead of giving him water, those brutes threw a blanket on his face." [Katyal breaks down as he narrates the story]

Clinton took the book and read the portions that I had highlighted. He was all attention as he listened to us. The meeting between Clinton and my family took place in a private room of his suite. I gave a photograph of my son Rupin to him. He wrote on it - 'With Respect and Regrets to Mrs Rachna Katyal, Chandermohan Katyal and Kusum Katyal'. He did not ask our names, nor did he misspell them. (Rachna has started working with Indian Airlines since March 1, 2000).

I drew his attention to the killing of 35 innocent Sikhs in the Kashmir Valley and asked him how long this madness would continue. He assured me that the American administration is doing everything it can to stop the killing of innocents. We have made news because Bill Clinton invited us to meet him. But after a few days, we would recede into the background and things would continue as normal. But we have lost our dear Rupin.

When he [Clinton] was talking to Rachna, she broke down and would just not stop weeping. He felt sorry for her. I know, whatever he said to us came from the bottom of his heart. Three and a half months after the tragedy, not even a single minister visited us to express his condolences. Clinton has done what others could not.

Rachna Katyal

2007-09-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

All through the eight-day ordeal, I had no idea that my husband had bled to death on the very first day of the hijacking. I must have gone into a state of shock. All I remember was that our family doctor came and I was administered sedatives. I had not seen Ripan since the first day of the hijack when the hijackers took Ripan and a few other male passengers from the economy class to the executive class. It is now a year since then. I have realised that life does not stop after the loss of a loved one. We who are living, Ripan's parents and I, have to go on.

Some time during that terrifying Christmas night, the 25-year-old honeymooner breathed his last...

On December 24, 1999, the passengers and crew of the Indian Airlines Flight, IC 814, were taken hostage by a group of five hijackers. As the nation watched the horror unfold, three passengers were stabbed. Two of them survived their injuries but Ripan Katyal succumbed to this brutal act of terrorism. His death robbed his parents of their only son and a bride of her 20-day-old husban.

On December 25, one day after Flight IC 814 was hijacked, a special IA relief aircraft brought 27 passengers -- including 13 women and 11 children -- and the body of Ripan Katyal who was killed by the hijackers, from Dubai. Civil Aviation Minister Sharad Yadav brought back the released passengers. Chaotic scenes were witnessed at the arrival terminal when the plane landed at 11 pm as relatives, friends and media persons jostled with the police and airlines personnel.

According to Captain D Sharan of IC 814, Ripan Katyal was stabbed because the hijackers were angry over the delay in refuelling the aircraft. Some time during that terrifying Christmas night, the 25-year-old honeymooner breathed his last under a blanket, purchased in Kathmandu by one of the passengers, which was thrown over Katyal's bleeding body. Till he was conscious, Ripan Katyal kept repeating, "Papa pani, Papa pani."

The brutally stabbed body of Ripan Katyal was carried in a wooden casket. According to the FIR report in Delhi, his body bore "one stab wound on the abdomen, four stab wounds on the chest, two stab wounds on the neck where the jugular vein was slit, six stab wounds on the face and one abrasion on the nose." Rachna, his young widow was still aboard the aircraft. It was only much later that Ripan's parents gave their daughter-in-law the tragic news.

What is the use of relieving those moments...

I would not like to talk about what happened to my life around this time last year. Virtually all the details have been well publicised in the media and, as for my personal loss and grief, I cannot describe it in words. Also, what is the use of reliving those moments?

I was brought up in Guhana, Sonepat, which is a small town in Haryana. I have two elder brothers but I am the only daughter. I spent most of my growing up years in a very protected environment with my parents and brothers. After I did my graduation from Rohtak University, my parents, like most parents in Indian society, decided to find a good match and get me married.

Since I was only 20 years old at the time, I did not particularly want to get married but I was not against it either. Whatever my parents decided was fine with me.

Since my parents were looking at an arranged marriage, they did see many suitable boys before finally deciding on Ripan Katyal. They chose Ripan because he was well-educated, intelligent and a very good-natured person and his parents too were cultured. Besides, they were a well-off and well-settled family. Since both sides were very satisfied with the match, the wedding was fixed without a hitch.

Why did it have to be Ripan, is the question which Ripan's parents and I are still asking...

Ripan and Rachna in
Kathmandu

I met Ripan and liked him immediately. He was very easy to get along with and we went out together a few times before we actually got married on December 3, 1999.

The wedding was a large family affair and both families did not spare any effort to see that everything went off well. It was only after all the ceremonies and rituals associated with the marriage were over that Ripan and I finally left for our fateful honeymoon to Kathmandu by the Indian Airlines flight.

Why did it have to be Ripan, is the question which Ripan's parents and I are still asking. My in-laws's main concern all along has been to protect me as much as they possibly can. They have taken no chances with me and, despite their grief, have done everything they can to prevent me from collapsing.

When I came back from Kandahar, my father-in-law was at the airport along with other family members to receive me, but he did not let his sorrow show. Whenever I asked about Ripan, they only told me that he was in hospital. They managed to take me home as quickly as possible so that the prying cameras of the media did not get to me. Even at home, the gates of the house were kept closed and media persons were requested to stay away.

I was told Ripan is no more only much later, after even the kriya ceremony had been performed. It was only when I repeatedly kept asking for Ripan and they could avoid it no longer that I was finally told the truth. I think I was becoming hysterical so my father-in-law finally pointed to a large photograph of Ripan and brokenly told me, "That is your Ripan. That is all that we have of him."

All through my eight-day ordeal, I had no idea that my husband had bled to death on the very first day of the hijacking. I must have gone into a state of shock. All I remember was that our family doctor came and I was administered sedatives. I had not seen Ripan since the first day of the hijack when the hijackers took Ripan and a few other male passengers from the economy class to the executive class.

My in-laws have accepted the fact that their son is no more and they have now devoted their life to my welfare...

It is now a year since then. I have realised that life does not stop after the loss of a loved one. We who are living, Ripan's parents and I, have to go on. My greatest support system and, in fact, the only reason why I am a normal person today is because of Ripan's parents.

Today they are dearer to me than anyone else and we have, in a way, come closer because of the immense tragedy we have shared. Our grief cannot be assuaged. My in-laws have accepted the fact that their son is no more and they have now devoted their life to my welfare. They say, "All we have is Rachna and she is our daughter now and we have to rebuild her life."

I was in no condition to take any decisions. Since I had been brought up in a small town and I was quite young (just 21 when I got married) my exposure to the outside world at that point was minimal. It was my father-in-law who, after discussing it with my mother-in-law, decided that I could not just spend the rest of my life in mourning.

He then decided the best thing I could do was to start working so that my mind would be diverted from my personal life. He approached Indian Airlines and asked them to consider employing me. Since we are a fairly affluent family there was absolutely no financial compulsion for me to work. But I am very glad that my father-in-law was wise enough to insist that I do something with my life. It has been just eight months since I started working and I think I am today a different person than I was on January 1, 2000.

However, my father-in-law is disappointed with the attitude of our government officials...

My father-in-law approached the Indian Airlines officials to absorb me in their organisation. The senior officials there had been extremely considerate all through that nightmarish period. In fact, I later learnt from my father-in-law that Sunil Arora, the present CMD of Indian Airlines, had kept vigil all night long with our family members when Ripan's body came back from Dubai.

Amongst those who were really concerned were Shekhar Ghose, HRD Director, Indian Airlines, and Minister for Civil Aviation Sharad Yadav and Chaman Lal Gupta. Even today Mr Gupta and Mr Arora are in touch with our family.

However, my father-in-law is disappointed with the attitude of our government officials. Nobody from the government, on behalf of the president, the prime minister or the external affairs ministry or the home ministry bothered to contact us or to represent the Indian government when Ripan's last rites were being done. This is something that we all, especially my father-in-law, feel let down about.

When Mr Chautala could attend the last rites on behalf of the Haryana government in Gurgaon (they have now even named a road in memory of Ripan as Shaheed Ripan Katyal Marg), why couldn't someone senior represent the government of India?

We all know nothing will bring Ripan back, but it would have helped to know that the government is serious about tracing the terrorists. What also hurts is the fact that those responsible for my husband's death have managed to get what they wanted, the release of the militants and they have all escaped unscathed.

We could not but feel the difference between their style of functioning and ours...

Initially, we did not really think about these things. But when we were called to meet the US President by Bill Clinton's staff and told that the US President wanted to meet us during his visit to India, we could not but feel the difference between their style of functioning and ours. No one from the Indian PMO's office had even bothered to send us a letter of condolence or called us but here was the US President asking us to personally meet him.

My father-in-law, mother-in-law and I met Bill Clinton on the evening of May 21, 2000, at the Maurya Sheraton. We were with him for about 25 minutes from 6.35 pm to 7.00 pm. Mr Clinton personally offered his condolences and consoled us and asked us whether we required any sort of help. Since we had no need for any material things, my father-in-law thanked him and declined but he was very touched that, in spite of his extremely tight schedule, Bill Clinton had taken out time to meet us.

Later he sent us a photograph and a letter from the White House assuring us that the government of the United States will work with India to find and prosecute those responsible for my husband's murder. Even now, nobody from the Indian government has updated us on the investigations or bothered to tell us whether our government is taking any action at the national or international level on this matter.

At no point ever did I wish to go back to my parents's house...

As I have already said, I have no need for any financial assistance. I have already received Rs 9,00,000 from Indian Airlines, which is the compensation decided under the Warsaw pact. My in-laws have given me emotional security and have opened their hearts and their home to me.

I still live with them in Gurgaon. At no point did I ever wish to go back to my parents's house. This is my home now and I am both son and daughter to my in-laws.

From March 1, I have been working as an office assistant in the HRD department in Indian Airlines at their headquarters, Airlines House, in Connaught Place, New Delhi. My father-in-law had made a special request that, since I had never worked before, I should be given an office job instead of a field posting where the hours may be erratic. The Indian Airlines authorities were kind enough to accommodate the request.

Even since I have started working, I feel I have changed immensely...

My in-laws are sparing no efforts to see that I lead a normal life like any other young girl of my age. My father-in-law has also persuaded me to continue my studies, so that I can have a bright future without being dependent on anybody.

I am now doing my MBA from IMT, Ghaziabad. I am continuing my studies along with my job. Since it is a correspondence course, I have to attend classes near my house in Gurgaon itself during the weekend when the office is shut.

Both mummy and papa (that is what I call Ripan's parents) want me to study as much as I can. Mummy takes care of all the household responsibilities so I don't have to worry about anything. I too am very keen to become a career person. Ever since I have started working, I feel I have changed immensely. I am much more confident and outgoing as a person. I feel my life once again has a purpose.

Before my marriage, I had never really thought of being a working girl. My in-laws too had never really wanted a working bahu. They just wanted a homely girl who could look after the needs of the family. But now that everything has changed so drastically, they have reoriented their thinking to whatever is best for me. They now feel, it is best that I have a career. I too want to rise high in my profession and want them to be proud of me.

Every question does not really have an answer...

Rachna Katyal

Looking back, I would say having a career adds a lot of meaning to one's life. A job gives you a whole new world and adds an extra dimension to your personality. If you are homebound, you really don't know how much is happening in the world around you. By working, you are keeping abreast with all that is happening around you.

I feel if I hadn't started working, I would have just wasted away. I would have become a recluse, wallowed in self-pity and would have spent all my time wondering, why did this have to happen to me? Now I have a much more positive attitude to life and I have realised one has to accept life as it comes. Every question does not really have an answer. It is up to us to make the best of whatever circumstances one finds oneself in.

I feel I am still blessed because my in-laws have stood by me in adversity. Many girls in my circumstances would have returned to their parents' home but I have never, even for one day, felt the need. It is not as though my in-laws stopped me from going back to my parents. It was just that I never felt the need to, even for one moment.

Today, they need me just as I need them. We are each other's biggest solace. It's not just my in-laws, even Ripan's elder sister, Riru, who is married and now stays in the US, has accepted me as the daughter of this house. I know I have to rebuild my life but I will do it from here with the support and blessings of Ripan's family.

I can only wish other girls with my circumstances have such a support system and I would also ask every girl who is faced with a personal tragedy to go out and do something with her life. Unless you decide to help yourself, no one can do anything for you. Keep self-pity out of your life, look ahead and be strong enough to start life again.

My father-in-law's one wish is to see a scholarship instituted Ripan's memory. Indian Airlines is already working on a merit scholarship to be instituted in Ripan's name in the school he studied, which is the Rotary Public School in Gurgaon. If that is done, he will feel that his son's memory is still alive.