Neerja Bhanot | |
|---|---|
 Bhanot depicted on a 2004 Indian postage stamp | |
| Born | 7 September 1963 Chandigarh, India |
| Died | 5 September 1986 (aged 22) Karachi, Pakistan |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds inflicted by Palestinian hijackers |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | Bombay Scottish School |
| Alma mater | St. Xavier's College |
| Employer | Pan Am |
| Known for | Saving passengers onboard Pan Am Flight 73 after it was hijacked by the Abu Nidal Organization |
| Awards |
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Neerja Bhanot (7 September 1963 – 5 September 1986)[1][2] was an Indian flight purser. On 5 September 1986, she saved a large number of passengers onboard Pan Am Flight 73, which had been hijacked by four Palestinian terrorists from the Abu Nidal Organization after it made a stopover at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan. Around 17 hours into the standoff, after she opened an emergency exit door and began helping passengers escape from the plane, Neerja was shot and killed by the hijackers. Shortly afterward, Pakistan's Special Service Group stormed the aircraft and captured all of the hijackers.
Posthumously, Bhanot became the first female recipient and, until 2003, the youngest recipient of the Ashoka Chakra, the highest peacetime gallantry award of India. She also received the Tamgha-e-Pakistan, the 4th highest civilian award of Pakistan, in addition to several accolades from the United States.[2][3] Her life and humanitarian actions inspired the 2016 Indian Hindi-language biographical film Neerja, directed by Ram Madhvani and starring actress Sonam Kapoor.
- ^ Vij, Illa (13 November 2000). "Brave in life, brave in death". The Tribune.
- ^ a b "'I saw Neerja being shot in the head' –Said by Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ Mohan, Megha (31 March 2016). "Inside a hijack: The unheard stories of the Pan Am 73 crew". BBC News. Retrieved 3 December 2016.