Hijacking of an aircraft will now entail capital punishment in the event of death of “any person” as Parliament on Monday passed a Bill to provide widen the ambit of the law in dealing with this crime.
The Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2014, was approved by the lok Sabha by voice vote. It was passed by the Rajya Sabha earlier.
In the earlier bill, hijackers could be tried for death penalty only in the event of death of hostages, such as flight crew, passengers and security personnel. In the amended law, the definition has been expanded to include death of ground staff as well.
Besides broadening the definition of hijacking, it also provides for an enhanced punishment to the perpetrators as well as the area of jurisdiction. Piloting the bill, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said government was trying to deal with the problem of security of airports through a mix of technology and manpower.
Dismissing suggestions that there should be no death penalty in case of hijacking, he noted that the country had witnessed 19 hijacking incidents and one has to be practical while prescribing penalties as the lives of innocent people are involved. Admitting that there was undue delay in enactment of anti-hijacking legislation, Raju said it was a reflection on the functioning of members.
Participating in the debate Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury remembered Neerja Bhanot, the Pan Am air hostess who died saving passengers on a hijacked flight in 1986. He said she gave her life while securing the passengers.
Saugata Roy (TMC) said she was a courageous lady and a film was also made on her recently.
Remembering Bhanot, he said Pan Am was a US-based company and they had not provided any compensation to Indian crew members.
Bhanot, the senior-most flight attendant on board a Pan Am Mumbai-New York flight, was shot dead by terrorists who had hijacked the flight in Karachi on September 5, 1986, during her courageous bid to save the lives of passengers. She became the youngest recipient of India’s highest peacetime military award for bravery, the Ashok Chakra.