Man behind 1982 hijacking dies at 78

A septuagenarian, who had hijacked a passenger plane in 1982 and subsequently spent two years in jail for the act, died at a private hospital at Bathinda, his family said today.
Gurbaksh Singh (78), a resident of Pakka Kalan village, died at Adesh hospital in Bathinda after a brief illness.
Singh had hijacked a Delhi-Srinagar flight on August 4, 1982 saying he had a bomb with him which later turned out to be a ball made of cloth, officials said.
Singh had wanted to take the flight, which had 70 foreigners on board, to Lahore but later opted to land it in Amritsar, sources said.

When asked by authorities to list his demands, Singh said he had hijacked the plane to highlight the alleged excesses suffered by Sikhs at the hands of the government.
Sources said Singh hijacked the plane after having learnt that the Indian government had asked Sikhs not to carry kirpans (ceremonial dagger) on board flights.
Singh, who used to look after some gurdwaras in Bangladesh, was in jail for about two years after the incident, officials said.