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Indian Airlines Flight 405

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Coordinates: 31°31′17″N 74°24′12″E / 31.52139°N 74.40333°E / 31.52139; 74.40333
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"Parminder Singh Saini" redirects here. For the Kenyan Olympic hockey player, see Parminder Singh Saini (field hockey).

Not to be confused with Indian Airlines Flight 421.
Indian Airlines Flight 405
An Indian Airlines A300, similar to the aircraft involved in the hijack
Hijacking
Date5 July 1984 (1984-07-05)
SummaryTerrorist hijacking
SiteLahore Airport, Punjab, Pakistan
31°31′17″N 74°24′12″E / 31.52139°N 74.40333°E / 31.52139; 74.40333
Aircraft
Aircraft typeAirbus A300
OperatorIndian Airlines
IATA flight No.IC405
ICAO flight No.IAC405
Flight originSrinagar Airport
DestinationPalam Airport
Occupants264 (including 9 hijackers)
Passengers254
Crew10
Fatalities0

On 5 July 1984, nine hijackers forced Indian Airlines Flight 405, an Airbus A300 on a domestic flight from Srinagar Airport to the Delhi-Palam Airport with 254 passengers and 10 crew on board, to be flown to Lahore Airport in Pakistan.[1]

The hijackers were armed with guns, daggers and a fake bomb. Their demands included the release of prisoners (all Sikhs arrested during Operation Blue Star), US$25 million for damage done during the Operation, and the return of items alleged to be stolen from the Golden Temple during the Operation. The demands of the hijackers were not met and they ultimately surrendered to Pakistani authorities on July 6.[1][2]

The Press Trust of India quoted the hijackers as saying "Long Live Khalistan".[3] It was related to the secessionist struggle in the Indian state of Punjab, where Khalistani separatists were active. They demanded a separate country for Sikhs.[2]

Hijackers

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Parminder Singh Saini

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Parminder Singh Saini was part of the Khalistan movement, a radical Sikh separatist movement in the Indian state of Punjab and hijacked the Indian Airlines Flight 405 that was flying from Srinagar to New Delhi, forcing it to reroute to Lahore in 1984. At his trial in Pakistan, he was sentenced to death, but was released after ten years.[4][5]

He immigrated to Canada under a false name (Balbir Singh). After entering and completing his law school education in Canada, Saini sought admission to practice as a lawyer. The application was refused, in part because of the serious and heinous nature of Saini's crime, but also because of a lack of candour on his part.[6]

He fought deportation when his true identity was discovered, and stayed in Canada for 15 years, before he was deported in 2010. Saini sought to return to Canada in 2011. His most recent application to the Federal Court of Canada was denied as well.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Airbus A300 registration unknown Lahore Airport (LHE)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b Stevens, William K. (6 July 1984). "Indian Jet Carrying 264 Hijacked to Pakistan, Reportedly by Sikhs". New York Times. p. A2. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  3. ^ "Sikh extremists hijacked an Indian Airlines plane with 264". 1984. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  4. ^ Canada deports convicted Indian hijacker. National Post.
  5. ^ 1984 IA plane hijacker seeks nod to practise law in Canada. Times of India.
  6. ^ Terrorist Barred From Practising Archived 28 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine. 35 January 2010. Lawtimes.
  7. ^ 23 February 2011. Toronto Sun.
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