On 24 December 1999, an Indian Airlines plane IC-814 was hijacked by terrorists. At that time there were 191 people on board the plane. The terrorists released all the passengers on 31 December, eight days later, in exchange for the release of three terrorists including dreaded terrorist Masood Azhar, who was jailed in India. Now, 25 years after that incident, this matter is again in the headlines after the release of the web series IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack on Netflix. With the release, this whole matter has again come into controversy. On this controversy arising over the glorification of terrorists and Hindu names, now the survivor woman of the plane hijacked in 1999 has revealed many things.
In an interview given to a website, this woman named Ipsita Menon tells that on 24 December 1999, my husband and I boarded this same Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu to Delhi. I was 24 years old at that time and we were returning home from our honeymoon.
She says that 25 years have passed since that accident. I thought I would not get emotional while remembering this incident. I was sitting at the back of the plane and I still remember every moment of that incident.
When asked how many times did you feel that you were close to death at that time? Menon says, to be honest, on the first day and the last day of the plane being hijacked.
She tells that when the plane was hijacked and taken to Afghanistan, the hijackers became ultra cool. On the third and fourth day of the hijacking, we also played antakshari with the hijackers. Burger (hijacker terrorist) came and sat next to us. I remember asking him why is your name Burger? Do you like eating burgers? So this is how we became friends with the hijackers.
Were phone numbers exchanged with terrorists?
During this, when Mrs. Menon was asked that it was also heard that phone numbers were also exchanged with the hijacker, she said that yes, this happened to some people because humanity is there in us.
She says that on 29 December, the terrorists told us to remember whatever God we believe in because now we will start shooting people one by one, so I started remembering my parents. I fell asleep crying at that time. It had been eight days, I was very tired. When they woke me up, I felt that now it was my turn to die. So we were all in a lot of trauma.
She tells that we were released on the evening of 31 December 1999. That was the most golden and memorable sunset of my life till date. It was also the most wonderful sunset at the end of a century. I can never forget that sunset in my life. Because we got freedom on that day and we were able to return to our country. My husband had also written a book with the same name, which is named, The Last Sunset of Millenium IC 814.
Let us tell you that in order to release all the passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines plane in 1999, the Indian government at that time had released three terrorists including Masood Azhar.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)