Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Central government to take up the issue of discrimination by the USA government against Indian victims of 1986 PAN AM 73-hijack case.
The directions, passed on May 29, have come in the wake of a petition filed by Chandigarh resident Aneesh Bhanot whose sister, Neerja Bhanot, a chief purser with Pan Am Airlines, was gunned down by the terrorists who had entered the aircraft posing as Pakistani police personnel carrying arms and hand grenades. Neerja, the country's first woman Ashok Chakra winner, was gunned down when she tried to save three US children from the bullets of the terrorists.
Bhanot had sought directions to the central government to take up the issues pertaining to the safety and security of Indian passengers on-board US airlines in case of a terrorist attack and not allow the USA to abandon the Indians like they did in the case of PAN AM 73. He had also sent a representation to the ministry of civil aviation on January 6, 2014 to take up the issue but no action has been taken.
Hearing the petition, division bench headed by chief justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul observed, "We are, thus, of the view that it is for the Government of India to take up the issue keeping in mind the representation made by the petitioner on January 6, 2014 and the material placed on record before us".
02/06/14 Ajay Sura/Times of India
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
The directions, passed on May 29, have come in the wake of a petition filed by Chandigarh resident Aneesh Bhanot whose sister, Neerja Bhanot, a chief purser with Pan Am Airlines, was gunned down by the terrorists who had entered the aircraft posing as Pakistani police personnel carrying arms and hand grenades. Neerja, the country's first woman Ashok Chakra winner, was gunned down when she tried to save three US children from the bullets of the terrorists.
Bhanot had sought directions to the central government to take up the issues pertaining to the safety and security of Indian passengers on-board US airlines in case of a terrorist attack and not allow the USA to abandon the Indians like they did in the case of PAN AM 73. He had also sent a representation to the ministry of civil aviation on January 6, 2014 to take up the issue but no action has been taken.
Hearing the petition, division bench headed by chief justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul observed, "We are, thus, of the view that it is for the Government of India to take up the issue keeping in mind the representation made by the petitioner on January 6, 2014 and the material placed on record before us".
02/06/14 Ajay Sura/Times of India
