Do you know who she is…??
You may know Kareena, Katrina,
Madhuri and Sridevi, but I can
confidently say that 95% of Indians
would not know this brave lady.
Neerja Bhanot was the senior flight
purser on the ill-fated Pan Am Flight 73,
hijacked by four heavily armed terrorists
after it landed at Karachi at 5 am from
Mumbai. PA 73 was en route to
Frankfurt and onward to New York City.
Neerja alerted the cockpit crew about the
hijack and, as the plane was on the
tarmac, the three-member cockpit crew
of pilot, co-pilot and the flight engineer
were able to flee from the aircraft.
Neerja, being the most senior cabin crew
member on board, took charge.
The hijackers were part of the
Palestinian Abu Nidal terrorist
organization and were backed by Libya.
They immediately shot dead a passenger
who identified himself to the terrorists
as being an American. The terrorists
then instructed Neerja to get the
passports collected of all the passengers,
so that they could identify the
Americans. Neerja, and the other
attendants under her charge, hid the
passports of the 40 Americans on board.
After 17 hours, the hijackers opened fire
and set off explosives. Neerja opened the
emergency door and helped a number of
passengers escape. She did not herself
escape, and became a martyr while
shielding 3 children from a hail of
bullets. Neerja was recognised
internationally as “the heroine of the
hijack” and is the youngest recipient of
the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest
civilian award for bravery.
A square called Neerja Bhanot Chowk is
named after her in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar
(East) suburb by the Mumbai Municipal
Corporation, which was inaugurated by
Amitabh Bachchan in the early 90′s.
Awards:
Flight Safety Foundation Heroism Award,
U.S.A.
Ashoka Chakra Award, India
Tamgha-e-Insaaniyat (Awarded for
showing incredibly human kindness),
Pakistan
Justice for Crimes Award, United States
Attorney’s office for the District of
Columbia
Special Courage award, US Govt.
Indian Civil Aviation Ministry’s Award
A salute to the brave lady – a True
Star…..
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