Freed passengers’ tales of woe

NEW DELHI, Dec 25 (PTI) — Everything was going on smoothly in the Indian Airlines airbus for the first 30 minutes after it took off from Kathmandu till a masked man from the rear of the plane shouted that the aircraft had been hijacked.

Passengers, released by the hijackers at Abu Dhabi who arrived here tonight, told reporters that a hijacker wearing a monkey cap, addressed the passengers loudly “the plane has been hijacked.”

Rupin Katyal, the lone casualty in the hijacked plane, was warned twice before reportedly being stabbed in the cockpit by the hijackers.

Heart-rending scenes dominated the late night proceedings at the Indira Gandhi International Airport when the coffin, carrying his body, was brought in from the aircraft.

The Airports Authority of India also paid tributes to the departed soul, whose cremation would take place at Gurgaon tomorrow.

Wife of Mr Satnam Singh, who suffered stab wounds, said when the passengers were having food, the hijackers began throwing away the plates.

While two of them were in the front, two others took control of the rear warning the passengers that if they raised their head or dared to see them they would not be spared.

She said the hijackers armed with fire arms and knives spoke in Hindi and English but their features could not be visualised as they were wearing monkey caps.

Asked about the activities of the hijackers inside the plane, she said they kept roaming in the aisle of the craft and talked to children.

They assured the children that they would not harm them.

She also said the hijackers demanded fuel and threatened that if they did not get it they would start killing the passengers and it was at that time that they killed Rupin Katyal.

She said her husband had been admitted to a nursing home in the Capital for treatment of his knife injuries.

Some unruly scenes were witnessed at the specially set up immigration centre at IGI airport as anxious relatives of the passengers, waiting since yesterday, were prevented by the airport authorities from meeting those returning from Dubai.

One of the released passengers said the hijackers could communicate in Punjabi and Nepali also.

One of the three released male passengers, in his mid-forties, who had received stab wounds at the hands of the hijackers, was carried on a wheel chair.

He also has bruises on his face, the passenger said.

A team of doctors and paramedical staff was present at the airport to provide medical assistance to the passengers.

Minister of State for External Affairs Ajit Panja, Delhi Lt Governor Vijai Kapoor and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit were present to receive the passengers.

Civil Aviation Minister Sharad Yadav was confident that the inputs provided by some of the released passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight would help in getting the release of others.

“We have spoken at length with the people who have been released and we are sure that the inputs given by them will help in getting the other hostages released”, Mr Yadav told reporters here today.

He said the modus operandi adopted by the hijackers was basically to scare the passengers by isolating them from each other.

“Rupin Katyal’s death was caused due to a vein injury on the neck”, Mr Yadav said, that seven persons in the aircraft were tied from behind.

A former military man was also among the hostages, he said.

According to the eye-witnesses, the hijackers spoke in ‘Hindustani’ and the accent was of “mixed type” and one of them also spoke Nepali.