Kin lay siege to PM’s house
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Dec 27 — For the second day in succession relatives of passengers held hostages on the hijacked IA plane at Kandahar protested over the manner in which the government was treating them.

After having pushed their way in an official briefing yesterday, the relatives were dissatisfied with the arrangements made by the government to keep them abreast of the development at Kandahar and steps being taken to secure the release of the hostages. They blocked traffic near Prime Minister’s residence as a mark of protest.

The deadline set by the hijackers and the government’s alleged laxity provoked them to vent their anger in front of 7, Race Course.

“We want the Prime Minister to come out and speak to us. We are not getting any information. What the officials are telling is stale,” agitated family members said .

The relatives said: “We will not let any body come out of the house nor will let anybody enter it unless the Prime Minister comes and personally brief us.”

Later, a five-member team of the relatives was called inside the PM’s residence. However, the team returned after about 20 minutes without meeting the Prime Minister but instead, had a meeting with Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Vasundhara Raje Scindia, who, according to the team members, asked them to meet her at her farmhouse ‘Scindia Villa’ on Ring Road at Sarojini Nagar in South Delhi. They were also advised by the minister not to bring any mediaperson or disclose any details to them a UNI report said.

However, while some of the relatives decided to stay outside the PM’s residence, others went to the Scindia Villa where the minister met them four about 45 minutes.

The anxious relatives, who had assembled at Centaur Hotel for the government to brief them about the measures being taken to free the hostages in the morning, were upset over what was provided to them by the officials.

As the hands of the clock moved towards the 1.40 pm deadline set by the hijackers who threatened to start killing the hostages the relatives lost their temper.

Not convinced with information conveyed to them during the first briefing organised by the government they tried to force their entry into Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, headquarters of the Civil Aviation Ministry here. They were unanimous in their complaint — lack of information.

There were minor scuffles between the police and the relatives as some of them forced their way across the police cordon. The Civil Aviation Secretary, Mr Ravindra Gupta and a Home Ministry official came out of a meeting of the crisis management group to brief them.

Still dissatisfied, the relatives proceeded to the Prime Minister’s residence and disrupted traffic near 7, Race Course.

The relatives alleged that the government had been lax in dealing with the crisis and had adopted an anti-people stand. They wondered why the government had not cared to react to the crisis in time when every second was crucial.

One relative wanted to know how the government would have reacted had an MP been in captivity aboard the aircraft. Yet another wanted the government to indicate whether its unyielding stand on the release of the militant was more important than the lives of 150 helpless and innocent passengers.

The telecast of the hijacked aircraft stranded at the segregation bay at Kandahar airport only heightened their anxiety and apprehension.

It was at 5.00 pm that the Director General, Civil Aviation, Mr H.S. Khola and an official of the Ministry of External Affairs assured them of the safety of all passengers. The officials assured the relatives that a special plane carrying a seven-member team of negotiators had already left for Kandahar at 4.30 pm along with a team of doctors, nurses and a psychiatrist. The relatives were also informed that water, food, medicines, blankets and other necessary supplies had been sent.

Relying to information received from the air traffic control at Kandahar, Mr Khola said toilets in the aircraft were being cleaned twice a day and fresh water was being supplied.

The Airport Authority of India had made arrangements in Centaur Hotel near Indira Gandhi International Airport to accommodate relatives of the passengers. The AAI said the relatives wishing to avail of the facility could get in touch with the senior airport manager at terminal II of the airport. It said that a medical team of AAI had been stationed near the information counter at the airport.