It was September 5, 1986. Flight tickets were booked and people were flying from Mumbai to the USA. In a sudden turn of events, four armed men hijacked the plane at Karachi, Pakistan and were targeting the Americans. It was Neerja Bhanot, the bold, brave and beautiful, who fought with courage and saved lives of several passengers.
While saving the lives, brave heart Neerja could have escaped the flight but she chose to be killed by hijackers who intruded in the — Pan Am Flight 73. She was only 22 when she was shot dead.
She became the youngest recipient of the Ashok Chakra (India’s highest gallantry award for bravery in the face of the enemy, during peace time) awarded by the Government of India for her bravery.
Marking her death anniversary, we have brought some of the rare seen photos of her –
