As a lifestyle expert with a keen interest in leadership and crisis management, I find myself deeply moved by the gripping account of Sarabjit Singh, the former Director General of Police in Punjab. His story is not just about managing a situation, but rather, it’s about making life-changing decisions under immense pressure – a testament to his courage and wisdom.
Sarabjit Singh, a previous Director General of Police in Punjab, shared details about the tense circumstances he encountered when an IC 814 Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu was hijacked and ended up landing in Amritsar in December 1999. Singh explained that during this incident, he maintained contact with officials in New Delhi. He remembered saying, “Gunfire may erupt. And if gunfire does erupt, I can’t predict exactly how many lives will be lost.
Aircraft IC 814 initially stayed put at Amritsar for approximately 45 minutes before resuming its journey, eventually touching down in Kandahar. In Kandahar, the plane remained stationary for several days while Indian officials engaged with terrorists over the release of the hostages. This initial choice to let the plane depart from Amritsar was later seen as a major blunder by Indian authorities, as it quickly entered dangerous territory.
In a conversation with The Tribune, Sarabjit Singh shared that he found out about the hijacking incident through news broadcasts. Despite being in Chandigarh, he felt an instinctive need for caution and directed two units of commandos to be deployed at Amritsar airport as a preventative measure. He also spoke with Shyamal Dutta, who was the Intelligence Bureau chief at the time, as well as AS Dulat, a former Research & Analysis Wing chief. Simultaneously, Jaswinder Singh, the then DIG Border, had connected with the flight captain, Devi Sharan, at the Amritsar airport’s ATC tower.
Initially, upon learning that the plane had touched down in Amritsar, before I could consult with Delhi, my immediate response was “Don’t refuel”. Meanwhile, Devi Sharan was urgently requesting fuel. However, Delhi was instructing me to take action, and I replied, “I have two companies out there armed with automatic weapons, but we lack specialized hijacking equipment. We don’t even have a ladder to reach the plane. If gunfire ensues, I can’t predict the number of casualties.
Sarabjit shared with Shyamal Dutta that ground troops couldn’t peer inside the plane and were unsure about the number of people who could potentially be hurt if they charged the cabin. In response, Dutta asked if the plane could somehow be breached. This idea struck Sarabjit as funny, so he told Dutta it was impractical, explaining that unlike a scooter tire, the aircraft’s wheels were big, tubeless, and resistant to bullets, making them very different from a scooter tire.
As a die-hard fan, I managed to stall the refueling operation by letting Sarabjit know that the fuel truck guys were taking their lunch break. Sarabjit chimed in, saying I’d called for the fuel truck and, without keeping him in the loop, I placed two of my men near it to disable the wheels. Sarabjit voiced his worry that such actions might provoke an unsafe reaction from the hijackers within the plane.
During the ordeal, Sarabjit mentioned that Devi Sharan repeatedly urged for the plane to be refueled. Sharan also told air traffic control that hijackers had murdered a passenger. Sarabjit said Jaswinder passed this information on to him, and when he heard it, he asked if a body had been thrown out of the plane. When Jaswinder replied negatively, Sarabjit stated he wouldn’t believe until they actually saw a body outside the aircraft.
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2024-09-15 06:37