THE MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION (SHRI SHARAD YADAV)
(a),(b),(c),(d),(e),(f) and (g): A statement is laid on the Table of the Sabha.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a), (b), (c), (d),
(e), (f) & (g) OF STARRED QUESTION NO.4 FOR 24.2.2000
REGARDING HIJACKING OF INDIAN AIRLINES AEROPLANE FROM
KATHMANDU
(a) & (b): Yes, Sir. The Indian Airlines flight IC-814 was
hijacked on 24.12.1999 en route from Kathmandu to Delhi when
the plane was in Indian airspace. After intermediate halts
at Amritsar and Lahore on 24.12.1999 and Al-Minad(UAE) on
25.12.1999, the aircraft finally landed at Kandahar on
25.12.1999. The aircraft continued to be parked at Kandahar
Airport until the termination of the hijacking in the
evening of 31.12.1999. All the passengers were released by
the five hijackers found to be Pakistani nationals, in
exchange for three terrorists who were under custody in the
Indian prisons namely:
1. Maulana Masood Azhar
2. Ahmed Umar Sayed Sheikh
3. Mustaq Ahmed Zargar
One passenger Shri Rupen Katyal was killed and another
passenger Shri Satnam Singh was seriously injured during the
incident.
(c): No inquiry Committee has been set up by the
Government. However, CBI would be looking into this aspect
during their investigation.
(d): Does not arise.
(e): The following measures have been taken for safety of
air passengers:-
i) Deployment of Central Industrial Security Force
(CISF) personnel in place of the State Police for
security duties at the domestic operational airports
in a phased manner. The CISF has already taken
over the security duties at Jaipur, Guwahati,
Vadodara and Port Blair airports.
ii) Frisking of passengers and hand baggage at the
time of entry into sterile area has been tightened.
Ladder point secondary frisking has been introduced.
iii) Strict control on access to the airports is
being ensured by comprehensive review of Photo
Identity Cards to restrict the number of
pass-holders and banning of entry of the visitors
upto 28.2.2000.
iv) Deployment of Sky Marshals on some identified
routes of Indian Airlines and Air India as an added
safety precaution.
v) Raising of the perimeter wall to the prescribed
height at all the operational airports.
vi) Replacement of old X-Ray machines and
installation of new colour X-Ray machines wherever
necessary so as to ensure that atleast two X-Ray
machines are available at every point.
vii) Modernisation and upgradation of security
related technological set up at the airports is
being done in a phased manner.
The Government of India has formally asked Pakistan
to hand over the hijackers to India for judicial process.
(f) & (g): His Majesty`s Government of Nepal have assured
the Government of India that they are taking the necessary
action to strengthen security at the Tribhuvan International
Airport in Kathmandu and our decision on the resumption of
Indian Airlines flights to Kathmandu would be taken keeping
all these factors in mind.
