Trigger Warning: The article contains mention of weapons and death.
Sarabjit Singh, the former Director General of Police in Punjab, recounted the intense situation he faced in December 1999 when a hijacked IC 814, Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu landed in Amritsar. Singh described his ongoing communication with authorities in New Delhi during the incident. He recalled, “Shooting will take place. And if shooting takes place, I cannot tell you how many will die”.
Flight IC 814 stayed on the ground in Amritsar for about 45 minutes before taking off again, eventually landing in Kandahar, where it remained for several days as Indian officials negotiated with the terrorists for the hostages’ release. The decision to allow the plane to depart from Amritsar was later viewed as a significant failure by Indian authorities, as it soon entered hostile territory.
In an interview with The Tribune, Sarabjit Singh revealed that he first heard about the hijacking through news reports. Though he was in Chandigarh at the time, he had a strong intuition and ordered two companies of commandos to be stationed at Amritsar airport as a precaution. He mentioned being in communication with Shyamal Dutta, the then IB chief, and AS Dulat, the former R&AW chief. Meanwhile, Jaswinder Singh, the then DIG Border, had arrived at the ATC tower at Amritsar airport and had established contact with the flight captain, Devi Sharan.
He said, “My first reaction, when I was told that the plane had landed in Amritsar, before I could talk to Delhi, was, ‘Don’t refuel’. Devi Sharan was stressing, ‘Please give us fuel, please give us fuel’. In the meantime, Delhi is telling me to do something, and I said, ‘Look, I have two companies out there, they’re armed with automatic weapons, but we don’t have any equipment specific to hijacking. We don’t even have a ladder to reach the plane. Shooting will take place. And if shooting takes place, I cannot tell you how many will die’.”
Sarabjit mentioned to Shyamal Dutta that ground forces were unable to see inside the plane and had no way of knowing how many people might be harmed if they attempted to storm the cabin. In response, Dutta inquired whether the aircraft could be punctured. Sarabjit recalled finding the suggestion amusing and explained that he had told Dutta it wasn’t possible, as the aircraft’s wheels were large, tubeless, and impervious to bullets, unlike a scooter tyre.
Meanwhile, Jaswinder had managed to delay the refuelling process by informing Sarabjit that the bowser personnel were on a meal break. Sarabjit added that Jaswinder had called for the bowser and, without informing him, had positioned two men near it to disable the wheels. Sarabjit expressed concern that any such action could provoke a dangerous response from the hijackers inside the plane.
Throughout the incident, Sarabjit shared that Devi Sharan persistently pleaded for the plane to be refuelled. Sharan even informed the air traffic control that the hijackers had killed a passenger. Sarabjit recalled Jaswinder relaying this message to him, to which he responded by asking if a body had been thrown out. When Jaswinder said no, Sarabjit remarked that he wouldn’t believe the claim until a body was actually seen outside the aircraft.
