Indian Airlines Flight 814:

A Hijack that Gave the Entire Nation a Graphic Shock
The IC-814, or Indian Airlines Flight 814, is one of the most infamous hijacking incidents in Indian history. It was hijacked on December 24, 1999, while it was traveling from Kathmandu, Nepal to New Delhi in India. Soon after takeoff, five armed terrorists hijacked an Airbus A300. This culminated in a week-long crisis before three of the dreaded militants were released in exchange for the hostages.

The fall-out from the hijack was equally severe, and its impact on Indian aviation security and foreign policy has become a chilling reminder of the challenges caused by terrorism. This comprehensive review of the Hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 records the whole saga, from days before the hijacking event itself up to the event’s aftermath and implications for India long after.

The Aircraft and Its Passengers
Indian Airlines Flight 814 was a routine commercial flight carrying 176 passengers in addition to five crew members that departed from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal on December 24, 1999. The scheduled arrival was at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi aboard the Airbus A300. Among the passengers were Indian nationals making their way back home for the holiday season as well as some international travelers. It carried aboard crew of pilot Captain Devi Sharan, Co-pilot Rajinder Kumar, and flight attendants Anil Sharma, Rachna Dutta, and Sandeep Soni.

Holiday makers, such as honeymoon couples, corporate executives, and families getting ready for Christmas and New Year breaks, were among the travelers on board. The flight initially took off fine. However, when the aircraft entered Indian airspace around 17:30 IST, it witnessed the dramatic change of events when five armed men hijacked the aircraft, thereby initiating a seven-day hostage drama.

The Demands of Hijackers
They were later described as terrorists from Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, a militant Islamic group. They had secreted arms within the plane. The terrorists were armed with guns, knives, and hand grenades, saying they would destroy all the passengers aboard if their demands were not complied with. They changed the course of the plane and, in the first instance, asked the pilots to take the plane to Lahore, Pakistan. However, the terrorists were denied permission by Pakistan to land, after which it proceeded to Amritsar in India to refuel.

The five hijackers, under the leadership of a man known as “Burger,” gained control of the aircraft and presented their demands to the Indian government. Their primary demand was for the release of high-profile militants incarcerated in India, including Maulana Masood Azhar, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. The latter three were convicted for providing support to terrorism, and the hijackers thought that the release of the three would further their cause.

Amritsar Debacle
The first major opportunity to deal with the crisis came when IC-814 touched down in the Jinnah Stadium area of Raja Sansi Airport, Amritsar around approximately 18:04 IST. In the event of an attack, neither the Indian authorities were prepared nor did they know how to react to the hijacking. The hijackers ordered fuel, and for almost an hour, there was still a chance for the Indian security forces to raid the aircraft and put an end to the hijacking.

For unclear reasons of communication and coordination between the government’s different branches, no decisive move was made. The authorities had a discussion over whether to permit refueling or an ambush on the hijackers. Finally, the plane was allowed to get refueled and the hijackers, knowing that the security forces were confused, ordered the pilots to take off again before the security forces could take action.

Travel to Kandahar
After the hijackers departed from Amritsar, they made their way to Lahore in Pakistan, where the aircraft landed briefly to refuel. The Pakistani authorities, after some consideration, allowed permission for the plane to be landed and refuelled, but the hijackers were not allowed to disembark or negotiate from Pakistan soil.

They directed the pilots to head to Dubai, where they filled up the tank and also released 27 passengers, among them a seriously injured young man named Rupin Katyal who had been stabbed by the hijackers. Katyal died a short time after the incident from his injuries; the hijacking was the first, and only, killing during the hijacking.

They then flew the aircraft to Kandahar in Afghanistan, which was then a province under the rule of the Taliban government. The hijackers believed they could bargain on equal terms within the Taliban-ruled area. The Taliban argued that they were only intermediaries and thus had nothing to do with the hijacking. Now, the Indian government was faced with the daunting challenge of bargaining with terrorists from another country thousands of miles away with no control over the events.

Negotiations and the Indian Government’s Dilemma
As the hijacked plane sat on the tarmac in Kandahar, the Indian government faced the challenge of high stakes negotiation. The hijackers demanded the freedom of the three militants released from Indian jails, which placed the government in a tight spot: it didn’t want to set the “bad” example of releasing the militants, as this may encourage other terrorist outfits. On the other hand, the lives of 176 passengers and crew members were on board, and one mistake could lead to a tragic loss of life.

What added to the woes was that India had no strong bargaining power with the Taliban regime which was not represented in the world. Indian officials, led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and senior politicians, Jaswant Singh, the Minister of External Affairs, L.K. Advani, the Home Minister, were trying to compose themselves within just a few hours’ time to maneuver a possible solution. Special negotiator Vivek Katju and a group of negotiators were dispatched to Kandahar to speak directly with the hijackers.

The Hostage Rescue and Terrorist Exchange
It was on the fourth day of such high-tension negotiations that the Indian government, facing mounting pressure from the families of hostages and the people in general, agreed to swap the three militants for the safe evacuation of the passengers and crew of IC- 814. “We had no other alternative, as things had reached this stage,” the Indian government declared.

It was on December 31, 1999, at the Kandahar airport that the exchange was carried out where Maulana Masood Azhar, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh were handed over to the hijackers.

The hijackers released the hostages in return. Finally, the nightmare of the passengers as well as the crew came to an end. The hijackers themselves were allowed to escape into Pakistan. The convicted militants also played leading roles in subsequent terrorist attacks where Masood Azhar formed the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) that had been responsible for many Indian attacks including the 2001 Indian Parliament attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack.

Aftermath and Impact
The IC-814 hijacking had huge consequences for India, from security as well as foreign policy perspectives. Major gaps in Indian aviation security and the preparedness of the country to respond to such eventualities were exposed through the hijacking. As a fallout of the incident, the Indian government enhanced security at airports with a view to conducting closer screenings of passengers and ensuring better coordination between agencies like the Central Intelligence Organisation and those in states for timely sharing of information. The BCAS had to be streamlined for making it more responsive and efficient for avoiding similar eventualities in the future.

The freeing of the three militants, notably Masood Azhar, had a long-time after-effect on the anti-terror initiatives launched by India. The role of Azhar in the formation of Jaish-e-Mohammed and, subsequently, the attacks by the group on Indian soil revealed the perils of negotiating with terrorists. The hijacking also raised questions about India’s foreign policy, notably regarding India’s and Pakistan’s relationship, wherein Pakistan was an alleged abettor of groups that aided and abetted terrorism against India.

Lesson-Leading Changes in Policies End
One of the most important lessons learned from the Hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 is the importance of coordination and preparedness in handling hijackings. That India responded late at Amritsar and thus lost a golden chance to put an end to the hijacking was the continued focus of criticism. As a result, India adjusted the hijacking counter-procedures to include faster decision-making and coordination of action by the armed forces, law, and civil aviation.

Apart from the security measures, the hijacking had also impacted India’s stand on negotiating with terrorists. Despite having no other option but to succumb to the demands of the hijackers in this case, the incident reemphasized the risks involved in yielding to terrorists. Indian policy, in the following years, hardened more to refusal to negotiate, and where possible, to seek military solutions.

Indian Airlines Flight 814 hijacking was a traumatic event that exposed how vulnerable commercial aviation to terrorism is and how it can significantly challenge governments in dealing with hostage situations. The passengers and crew experienced a week of terror, forever changing their lives. For India, it was a wake-up call, which induced many significant changes in the country’s aviation security and counter-terrorism policies.

Masood Azhar and many such more militants, who were released long back, created many unwanted after-effects in the form of pivotal figures in future terrorist attacks.

The IC-814 hijacking remains seared into the consciousness of the nation as a stark reminder of what terrorism is and the very difficult decisions governments have to make in order to protect their citizens. Although India has since fortified its security apparatus, the lessons that it learns from IC-814 continue to inform the country’s approach to aviation security, counter-terrorism, and hostage negotiations.

Disclaimer: