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!!
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