FEROZEPORE: The body of Kamaljit Singh Sandhu (30), who was released on parole by the Supreme Court for two months on May 26, was found floating on the Rajasthan feeder at Hindu Mal Kot last week. He was one of the seven convicted for hijacking an Indian Airlines Boeing, from Chandigarh to Dubai on August 23, 1984, to protest against Operation Blue Star .

Hindu Mal Kot is a village of Rajasthan having a common border with Pakistan and Punjab. Kamaljit had jumped into the canal on June 22 as he was not in the proper frame of mind. Family members had lodged a complaint about his disappearance under mysterious circumstances on June23 at Ghalkhurd police station in the border district of Ferozepore. The report was lodged by his father, Mr. Gurdial Singh Sandhu a retired headmaster.

According to Mr. Ishwar Chander, district police chief, the body of the hijacker was recognized by his family members. They had gone to Hindu Mal Koton receiving the information that the body of a youth was floating in the canal. However, the Additional Superintendent of Police, Ganganagar (Rajasthan), feigned ignorance about the recovery of the body when contacted over the telephone. Kamaljit belonged to Kallash village in Ferozepore. He had been living there with his parents since his release on parole. Earlier, the Ferozepore police was working on various the ones about the disappearance of Kamaljit; the police had sounded the national and international airports in view of his disappearance.

Kamaljit had been a student of fine arts in Government College, Chandigarh. He had surrendered along with his six companions before the Dubai police after the hijacking of the plane. According to family sources, Kamaljit had no regrets for hijacking the plane.

Earlier, the Shiromani Youth Akali Dal president from Amritsar, Mr. Kuldip Singh Kahlon, and Mr, Jaspal Singh Dhillon, general secretary, in a press note had alleged that the police was responsible for the “disappearance” of the hijacker, Kamaljit, who had been undergoing treatment in the jail for mental imbalance, was seen last by a resident of Kailash village, Swam Singh, walk along the Sirhind feeder and the Rajasthan feeder. Born on June 20, 1965, Kamaljit

Was the brain behind the hijacking of the Indian Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft on August 24, 1984? The plane was on its routine Delhi Chandigarh Jammu Srinagar flight. He was an activist of the All India Sikh Students Federation, was held responsible for incidents of arson and violence on April 19, 1984, in the city. After his arrest he was taken to the P.G_L. for medical examination. There he raised pro Khalistan slogans following which cases of sedition were registered against him under Sections 124Aand 163A of the Indian Penal Code.

 

Since his father was a headmaster in a government school, his mother, Mrs: Kulwant Kaur, pursued his case, It was she who moved an application for medical examination in the court of the Sub Divisional Magistrate after he was brought here from Dubai by a special CBI team, He was medically examined at a New Delhi hospital (Wellington) on September 10 while still in GBI custody.

Article extracted from this publication >>  July 3, 1996