Lahore: January 19: The special court judge, Mr. Fazil Karim awarded at Lahore the extreme penalty of death to three Sikh hijackers life imprisonment to seven others and acquitted the remaining four. Those sentenced to death include S. Parminder Singh “Harfan Maulla”, S. Dalip Singh and S. Harminder Singh. While S. Ravinder Singh and S. Gurdeep Singh have been given life imprisonment. All the five Sikhs involved in the September 1981 have been awarded life imprisonment. They are S. Gajinder Singh, S. Jasbir Singh, S. Teji der Pal Singh, S. Satnam Singh and S. Karam Singh.
The judgment was announced yesterday. It was reserved a few days ago. Fourteen Sikhs were on trial for hijacking two Indian Airlines planes on different occasions. One in September 1981 and the other in July, 1984, In September 1981 five Sikhs under the leadership of S. Gajinder Singh hijacked the Airbus to protest against what he later described as the massacre of Sikhs by police at Chowk Mehta. The police had opened indiscriminate fire on the crowds protesting against the arrest of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. 13 persons were killed on the spot and scores were wounded. In July 1984 nine Sikhs hijacked another Airbus to protest against the Indian Army’s invasion of the Golden Temple in which thousands of innocent Sikhs were killed and Akal Takht was destroyed.
Pakistan court, it may be recalled, had unconditionally released two Hindus who had also hijacked an Indian Airlines plane to Lahore in protest against Indira Gandhi’s arrest by the Janata government, These two Hindus were later rewarded by Indira Gandhi with seats in the State legislatures.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 24, 1986
