Indian Airlines Flight 410
Bholanath Pandey and Devendra Pandey on December 20, 1978 hijacked an Indian Airlines plane on a domestic flight. They demanded the release of Indira Gandhi (who had been arrested after emergency) and the withdrawal of all the cases against her son Sanjay Gandhi.[1] They carried only toy weapons. After keeping 132 passengers hostage for some hours, they surrendered in the presence of media.
The Indian National Congress party rewarded them with party tickets for the 1980 state assembly election; both won the election and became members of the legislative assembly of Uttar Pradesh. Bhola served as a Congress MLA from 1980 to 1985 and 1989 to 1991 from Doaba, Ballia and Devendra remained a member of the house for two terms.
Devendra never served the party as a general secretary ever again of Uttar Pradesh . He is now nurturing the Sultanpur[citation needed] constituency in the hope of a Congress ticket in the next elections.
Devendra esigned from the party as a general secretary of Uttar Pradesh. Bhola pandey also became general secretary of Indian youth congress and secretary of Indian National Congress. He belongs to Ballia.Bhola Pandey unsuccessfully contested the 1991,1996, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Salempur as a Congress candidate.
References
- ^ Kishin R. Wadhwaney (2005). Indian Airports (Shocking Ground Realities). Diamond Pocket Books. p. 124. ISBN 978-81-288-0872-2. Retrieved 28 July 2011.
Further reading
- Hijacking: A toy-gun affair, India Today, 15 January 1979.
- Tale of two hijackers: One is Congress candidate, other most wanted, The Times of India, 3 April 2014.
External links
- India's tryst with plane hijacks, Business Standard, 18 March 2014.
- IC 410 Plane Hijackers become MLA’s in India, Mythgyaan, 27 March 2019.