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.jpg) An Indian Airlines Boeing 737-200, the model of the hijacked aircraft. | |
| Hijacking | |
|---|---|
| Date | 20 December 1978 |
| Summary | Aircraft hijacking |
| Site | Varanasi Airport, Uttar Pradesh, India 25°27′08″N 082°51′34″E / 25.45222°N 82.85944°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-200 |
| Operator | Indian Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | IC410 |
| Registration | Unknown |
| Flight origin | Calcutta Airport |
| Stopover | Amausi Airport |
| Destination | Palam Airport |
| Occupants | 132 |
| Passengers | 126 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Survivors | 132 |
Indian Airlines Flight 410 was a domestic passenger flight from Calcutta to Palam Airport, Delhi, India. On 20 December 1978 the flight was hijacked by Bholanath Pandey and Devendra Pandey shortly before landing at Palam Airport. The hijackers claimed to be members of the Indian Youth Congress, and demanded the release of Indira Gandhi, withdrawal of the charges against her son Sanjay Gandhi, and the resignation of the Janata Party government. The hijackers surrendered shortly after 60 passengers managed to escape.
The prosecution against the two hijackers was dropped after Indira Gandhi and her party returned to government in 1980. Bholanath Pandey and Devendra Pandey then went on to serve as members of the legislative assembly of Uttar Pradesh.