| Neerja Bhanot | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 7, 1963 Chandigarh, India |
| Died | September 5, 1986 (aged 22) Karachi, Pakistan |
| Nationality | India |
| Other names | Lado |
| Occupation | flight attendant |
Neerja Bhanot (September 7, 1963 – September 5, 1986 [1]), was a flight attendant for Pan Am airlines, based in Bombay, India, who died while saving passengers from terrorists on board the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73 on September 5, 1986, she went on to become the youngest recipient of India’s highest civilian award for bravery, the Ashoka Chakra.[2]
Contents |
Neerja Bhanot, born in Chandigarh, India, was the daughter of Rama Bhanot and Harish Bhanot, a Mumbai based journalist. She was an alumnus of Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, Chandigarh, Bombay Scottish School and St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.
Neerja had an arranged marriage in March, 1985 and joined her husband in the Gulf. However, the marriage turned sour following dowry pressure and she returned to her parents' home in Mumbai within two months. Subsequently, she applied for a flight attendant’s job with Pan Am Airline, and upon selection, went to Miami for training as a flight attendant but returned as purser.[1]
Neerja Bhanot was the senior flight purser on the ill-fated Pan Am Flight 73, hijacked after it landed at Karachi at 5 am from Mumbai by four heavily armed terrorists. PA 73 was en route to Frankfurt and onward to New York City . Neerja alerted the cockpit crew about the hijack and, as the plane was on the tarmac, the three-member cockpit crew of pilot, co-pilot and the flight engineer were able to flee from the aircraft. Neerja, being the senior-most cabin crew member on board took on the mantle of leadership in a cool, calm, confident manner.
The hijackers were part of the Abu Nidal Group and as they were allegedly backed by Libya, they were seeking to kill Americans in revenge for the American bombing of Tripoli a few months earlier. They immediately shot dead a passenger who identified himself to the terrorists as being an American. The terrorists, then, instructed Neerja to get the passports collected of all the passengers, so that they could identify the Americans. In a daring act of compassion, Neerja and the other attendants under her charge, hid the passports of the 18 Americans on board and this, in all probability, saved their lives.Indeed, if the terrorists had come to know of this act of Neerja, they would have surely killed her there and then.
After 17 hours, the hijackers opened fire and set off explosives. Acting quickly, Neerja opened the emergency door and helped a number of passengers escape. If she wanted, she could have been the first to jump out of the aircraft and escape.However, she did not and gave her own life while shielding 3 children from a hail of bullets. Neerja was recognised internationally as "the heroine of the hijack" and is the youngest recipient of the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest civilian award for bravery. [3]
The hijackers, who were Palestinians said to be from the Abu Nidal Organisation were captured by Pakistan, tried, convicted and sentenced to death in 1988 but later commuted to life in prison.
In 2001, Zayd Hassan Abd Al-Latif Masud Al Safarini, the hijacker who shot the passengers was captured by FBI in Bangkok after being released by Pakistan. In the US, he is presently serving 160 years prison term in Colorado. Four others were freed from Pakistan's Adiala Jail in January 2008. The FBI has announced a $5 million bounty on their head.
Pakistani intelligence officials announced that one of the hijackers, Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim was killed in North Waziristan tribal region in a US missile attack on 9 January 2010. As per the FBI website he was a Palestinian with possible Lebanese citizenship. ( Sunday Times of India, 17 January 2010 )
"Her loyalties to the passengers of the aircraft in distress will forever be a lasting tribute to the finest qualities of the human spirit".
For her bravery the Government of India posthumously awarded her the Ashoka Chakra (India's highest decoration for gallantry away from the battlefield, or not in the face of the enemy), being its youngest recipient. In 2004 the Indian Postal Service released a stamp commemorating her.[4][5]
With the money from the insurance settlement and an equal contribution from Pan Am, Neerja's parents set up the 'Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust'. The trust presents two awards every year, one for a flight crew member, worldwide, who actsan beyond the call of duty and another to Indian woman who, when faced with social injustice like dowry, desertion etc. overcomes it with guts and grit AND then helps other women in similar social distress. The award includes a sum of INR 1,50,000, a trophy and a citation.[6][7]
Neerja's brother Aneesh Bhanot went to Washington DC, in 2005 to receive the 'Justice for Crimes Award' awarded posthumously to Neerja as part of the 'Annual Crime Rights Week', at a ceremony held at the United States Attorney's office for the District of Columbia.[8] In 2006, she and the other Pan Am Flight 73 flight attendants and Pan Am's flight director for Pakistan were awarded the Special Courage award by the US Department of Justice.[9]
A square called Neerja Bhanot Chowk is named after her in Mumbai's Ghatkopar (east) suburb by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation.
The civil aviation ministry of India conferred an honor on Neerja Bhanot posthumously on February 18, 2010 in New Delhi on the occasion of the launch of the celebrations of the centenary of Indian Aviation.
Neerja has two brothers, Akhil and Aneesh . Her father, Harish Bhanot, a veteran journalist with The Hindustan Times served for over 30 years, first at Chandigarh and later in Mumbai, died on Jan 01, 2008 in Chandigarh at the age of 86.[10]