The Story of Two “People’s Representatives” Who Hijacked a Plane With Toy Guns For Indira Gandhi and Called It a Protest. Did Democracy Win or Did Power Rule?

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On the evening of December 20, 1978, Indian Airlines Flight IC 410 took off from Lucknow bound for Delhi, carrying 132 passengers. It was an ordinary domestic flight, with people simply heading to their destination, but it soon turned into a hijacking of democracy itself, an incident that would later expose uncomfortable truths about power, loyalty, and the rule of law in Indian democracy.

The plane was barely fifteen minutes away from reaching Delhi when two young men seated in the 15th row rose and calmly walked toward the cockpit. There was no alarm. One of them politely requested permission to speak to the pilot, an act that was not unusual in an era when cockpit access was less restricted. Moments later, the calm shattered. The cockpit door was forced open, and with what appeared to be a pistol, they attempted to take control of the aircraft. Soon after, the captain announced over the public address system: “This aircraft has been hijacked.”

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How Two Youth Congress Workers Hijacked a Plane

The flight was first diverted toward Patna and then rerouted to Varanasi. Inside the cockpit, the hijackers pressed what appeared to be a pistol against the pilot’s temple, demanding that the aircraft be flown to Nepal, but a shortage of fuel made this impossible.

The hijackers were soon identified as Youth Congress workers, Bhola Nath Pandey (27) from Azamgarh and Devendra Pandey (28) from Ballia. They shouted slogans of “Indira Zindabad” and “Sanjay Zindabad,” denounced the Janata Party government, and declared that the hijacking was a protest against the arrest of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who had been jailed following post-Emergency proceedings.

Their demands were sweeping: the immediate release of Indira Gandhi, withdrawal of all criminal cases against her and Sanjay Gandhi, the resignation of Janata Party Prime Minister Morarji Desai, and permission to address a press conference from the airport lounge.

The hijacking sent shockwaves across the country. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ram Naresh Yadav, along with the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, flew to Varanasi to negotiate. The standoff dragged on for nearly 13 hours, during which the aircraft became increasingly suffocating and water supplies ran out.

As dawn approached, chaos broke out when emergency slides were deployed and nearly half the passengers fled the aircraft. Moments later, both hijackers emerged shouting pro-Indira slogans and surrendered.

Then came the dramatic revelation: the weapons were toy pistols, and the “bomb” was merely a cricket ball wrapped in black cloth.

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The Gift of MLA tickets for the Plane Hijackers

Bhola Nath and Devendra Pandey spent nine months and 28 days in jail. But the story did not end there. In 1980, Indira Gandhi returned to power, and soon after, the cases against both hijackers were withdrawn. In a move that stunned many, the Congress party rewarded both men with Assembly tickets in Uttar Pradesh, and both won.

Bhola Pandey became a two-time MLA from the Doaba Assembly seat in Ballia district and went on to hold senior organisational positions within the Congress. Devendra Pandey also served two terms as an MLA and later became a General Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee. Bhola Pandey passed away in August 2024, while Devendra Pandey died in 2017.

The 1978 hijacking remains more than a historical curiosity. It raises enduring questions about political patronage, criminality, and moral accountability in Indian democracy. The fact that men who hijacked a civilian aircraft, endangering over a hundred lives, were later rewarded with political office exposes a troubling paradox. And this is not the only instance where such a trend has continued, even in recent times, with the release or relief granted to convicted criminals such as Kuldeep Sengar and others.

So the question that arises is this: can we truly call this the rule of the people, or is it the rule of power? Because if the people are ruling, why are they the ones who continue to suffer because of politics?

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