On September 5, 1986, 22-year-old Pan Am flight attendant Neerja Bhanot displayed unimaginable courage when four heavily armed Abu Nidal terrorists hijacked Flight 73 at Karachi Airport. Acting swiftly, she alerted the cockpit crew to ground the plane, hid the passports of target American citizens, and spent over fifteen harrowing hours comforting 360 passengers. When the terrorists opened fire, Neerja shielded three children with her own body, sacrificing her life just two days before her 23rd birthday.
On September 06, journalist Harish Bhanot had arrived at the Mumbai airport to collect his daughter’s coffin. The next day, on 07th September, was his daughter’s birthday. Her father went to her coffin and said, ‘Happy Birthday – Laado’.
By Dr. Ashish Choksi
Forty years ago on this day (06/09/1986), journalist Harish Bhanot had arrived at the Mumbai airport to collect his daughter’s coffin. The next day, on 07th September, was this daughter’s birthday. For what this daughter did for the country, any father would feel proud, but as a father, losing a 22-year-old daughter, a father’s heart was broken from within.
It is quite astonishing that a daughter of India was honored by the government of Pakistan for humanity and bravery. That the Pakistani judiciary, government, and media praised her for years. This is the story of Neerja Bhanot, the first woman to be honored with the Ashoka Chakra in India and also honored by the American government for bravery and humanity as an Indian air hostess.
05/09/1986: At midnight 12:15. When the Pan Am Airlines vehicle came to her house in Mumbai to pick up air hostess Neerja Bhanot, her mother told her, ‘Your birthday is on 7th September. Come back on time.’
At 1:30 AM, the Mumbai-New York via Karachi Pan Am flight took off. The flight reached Karachi Airport around 4:30 AM. A few passengers were deplaning at Karachi Airport and about 20 new passengers were boarding when, at 6 AM, Neerja was the first to realize that four terrorists had boarded the plane along with the passengers from Karachi. Neerja conveyed the ‘hijack code’ to the chief pilot in the cockpit and sent the pilot and the chief engineer out of the plane and prevented the plane from taking off.
The terrorists of the Abu Nidal group managed to reach the plane wearing uniforms similar to Pakistani security personnel and in a similar vehicle. Their wish was to get the Palestinian extremists lodged in Israeli jails released. They wanted to hijack the plane to Israel or Cyprus and fulfill their demand. Since America had declared support for Israel, the 43 American passengers present on the plane were their main target.
Both pilots had abandoned the plane, so the plane could not take off, and the terrorists were very angry. Now the entire responsibility of the passengers in the plane was on 22-year-old Neerja. She was the one who was also communicating with the terrorists. By afternoon, she had separated and hidden the passports of 43 American citizens, so the terrorists could not identify the American citizens. Throughout the day, she kept giving courage to around 360 passengers.
Even in the difficult situation, she kept meeting all the passengers with a smiling face, making them laugh and keeping them calm. At 9:30 PM, the lights inside the plane went off. The terrorists panicked that a commando attack was happening. In panic, they started indiscriminate firing and threw grenades. When the bullets started raining, Neerja immediately opened the emergency exit door and started taking the children out. While taking out three children, when one terrorist aimed a gun at the children, Neerja came in between and took the bullets on her own chest.
Pakistan’s S.S.G. (SSG) commando team entered the plane and attacked. One terrorist was killed, the rest were caught. In this tragic incident, a total of 20 people, including Neerja, lost their lives. Neerja had opened the emergency door without fearing the terrorists, and through that, she saved around 360 passengers. The terrorists shot her point-blank and killed her. At 11 PM, while being taken to a hospital in Karachi, she lost her life on the way.
One of the three children saved by Neerja became a pilot. He remembers Neerja again and again for giving him a new life.
Final Words:
On 06/09/1986, her parents came to the Mumbai airport to collect her coffin. Her father went to her coffin and said, ‘Happy Birthday – Laado’. The next day, on 07/09/1986, on Neerja’s birthday, while performing her last rites, father Harish Bhanot bade his daughter a final goodbye saying, ‘Goodbye Darling, Please Keep coming…’
(Information: From the book ‘The Neerja I Knew’ written by Neerja’s brother, and from the Hindi film ‘Neerja’ – Dr. Ashish Choksi, Ahmedabad)
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