Is India's anti-hijack policy appropriate?

New Delhi: Terror alerts at airports are a matter of routine but one just days after the terror attacks in Mumbai has had aviation officials in a tizzy. They have also been forced to review the effectiveness of their anti-hijack policy to see if the systems are in place in case there is a hijack.
India's anti-hijack policy was formed after the Kandahar hijack. In an eerie similarity to the Mumbai attacks back in 1999 as well, NSG commandos were delayed in taking off. They could not get to the plane on Indian soil because the crisis management team was delayed in meeting.
"Played for time, landed in Amritsar, never wanted to leave Indian airspace. We kept waiting for refuel 49 minutes, but for whatever reason, nothing happened, no one was there," said Captain Devi Sharan, pilot of IC 814.
Though the Indian government was left red-faced over the mishandling of the Kandahar crisis, it took the government six years to formulate a new anti-hijack policy.
Here are few essential elements of the anti-hijack policy:
# A commercial airliner hijacked in Indian airspace can be shot down if it turns out to be a "missile".
# Hijackers' demands will not be met and negotiations will only be about hostage safety and return.
# If on Indian soil, the aircraft will be immobilised.
# A team of National Security Guards should be airborne within two hours of an incident, accompanied by a negotiating team.
# Hijackers face the death penalty if captured.
Experts say on the surface of it, this policy appears tough but the big question is that in live situations where countless lives are at stake, will the dynamics shift or will the government be able to follow through on provisions of the anti-hijack policy?
05/12/08 Prachi Bhuchar, Sandeep Phukan/NDTV.com

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Categories: Safety Dec 2008