A new series on streaming platform Netflix has brought back memories of the 1999 IC 814 plane hijack. After this series, those honeymoon couples who were on the plane that day are also recalling their ordeal of that horrific incident. There were 26 newlywed couples in the hijacked plane, including 24-year-old Ipsita and 28-year-old Bipin Menon. Aaj Tak spoke to the couple. Read the story of the hijack in the words of the Menon couple.
In 1999, Indian Airlines flight IC 814 was hijacked by terrorists. 26 newlyweds were returning home after their honeymoon in this plane. Ipsita and Bipin Menon were one of those couples. This couple, who got married 13 days ago, did not even get a chance to cherish the memories of their honeymoon when they got caught in the clutches of terrorism.
Also read: Films have been made on Kandahar hijacking even before IC 814, why has there been no controversy till now?
When the Menon couple stayed together for eight days under the shadow of death
When the hijackers tried to separate the passengers, most couples were separated, but somehow the Menon couple managed to stay together. For the next eight days, they held each other’s hands, comforted each other and remained immersed in love in the shadow of death.
After Anubhav Sinha’s series, the new generation has got a chance to know about the entire incident. After watching the series on the incident 25 years after the hijacking, the previous generation is also remembering the horrifying incident and sharing their experiences.
When plane hijacking was announced!
On December 24, 1999, the flight from Kathmandu to Delhi was ready to take off at 4 am. There was a delay in boarding and passengers were being served snacks for the 45-minute flight. “The staff was packing up the trays and I was admiring the beauty of the Himalayas from the window when suddenly it was announced, ‘This is a hijack. This is a hijack,'” says Bipin.
As Bipin told it, one of the gunmen announced, “This is a hijack.” He was brandishing a gun but was not handling it properly, making it clear that he was a new terrorist. Pilot Devi Sharan also announced, “Please listen to them.”
They were told that the pilot was being held at gunpoint. The five terrorists – Sunny Ahmad Qazi, Shakir, Mistry, Shahid Akhtar Saeed, and Ibrahim Akhtar were members of the Pakistan-based Islamic terrorist organization Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), who boarded the plane with their name codes.
Also read: IC-814 Kandahar hijack: Who was the terrorist whose body the hijackers were demanding?
As the pilot confirmed that the plane had been hijacked, Ipsita looked at Bipin in surprise and says, “I asked, ‘Hijack? Are the kids playing a joke?’ They seemed so young to me.”
Over the next few days, the Menons supported each other and comforted each other in their fear. Amidst all the challenges, they decided to survive on oranges and milk so that they would not have to use the crowded toilets.
The passenger plane that landed in Kandahar brought an unimaginable tragedy into their lives, but the incident strengthened their relationship even more. Ipsita and Bipin Menon emerged from this incident by prioritizing their love and support for each other, and this proved to be a great example of courage and perseverance.
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