Murder In COLD BLOOD by PAKISTAN
Sarasij Majumder
54 years ago, Pakistan killed an Indian Chief Minister
because his plane was flying ‘too close’ to Indo-Pak border
As the Indian government sought permission from Pakistani
authorities to allow PM Modi to fly over Pakistani airspace during his upcoming
trip to the United States, social media users reminded the history of
Pakistan’s monstrosity of shooting down a civilian aircraft carrying the then
Gujarat Chief Minister Balwant Rai Mehta for allegedly entering its airspace.
On 19th September 1965, we were in middle of the 1965
India-Pakistan war. The then Chief Minister of Gujarat, Balwant Rai Mehta, a
tall Congress leader died after the civilian aircraft he was travelling with
seven others was shot down by a Pakistani airforce pilot near Indo-Pak border in
the Rann of Kutch.
Mehta took the Beechcraft Model 18 twin-engine light
aircraft to Mithapur near the India-Pakistan border. Former Air Force pilot
Jehangir Engineer was piloting the aircraft along with a colleague
The flight took off from
Ahmedabad airport toward Mithapur with Mehta, his wife Saroj, a journalist from
Gujarati daily Gujarat Samachar and three aides of Mehta. The flight was
expected to land in Mithapur at around 3 PM. At around 3:30 PM in Pakistan (3 PM
IST), Flight Lt A I Bukhari and Flying Official Qais Hussain of the no. 18
Squadron were asked to check a ‘suspicious’ radar contact south-west of Bhuj in
Kutch, Gujarat. The duo scrambled and around 15 minutes later, Hussain took
off. Around twenty minutes later, Hussain entered Indian Air Space at 20,000
feet.
Hussain then ‘spotted the target’ read that the number
started with VT and informed the air base in Pakistan about it. Hussain was
asked to standby till further instructions and he kept hovering on top of the
aircraft. A few minutes later, Hussain got the message he was ‘clear to shoot’.
Hussain positioned his plane behind the aircraft carrying
Mehta which had begun to climb up and wagging the wings to signalling it is a
civilian aircraft. Hussain paid no heed and took first shot. A splinter flew
off the left wing of the plane. He then fired toward the right wing. The plane
was unsteady but still flying. Soon, the right engine caught fire and the took
a 90 degree vertical dive. It soon blew into a ball of fire, just off the
coast.
Hussain then quickly turned back. Pakistani Air Force shot
down a civilian aircraft after entering Indian Air Space because it was ‘flying
very close to the border for considerable period of time’. Pakistani Air Force
suspected that Indian Air Force was using a civilian aircraft for a recce.
The questions arise:--
1.0 Air
Force Base BHUJ is near by. How come—this PAKISTANI intrusion was not detected in
RADAR?
2.0 Why
the Beach Crat was not escorted by an Indian Fighter Jet while travelling in
BORDER AREA?
3.0 What
was our Anti- Air Crat Gun doing, afyer
the Pakistani fighter stayed in India Air, for considerable period?
4.0 Why
News Papers and Media didn’t ask for a probe?
Four days later, on 23rd September, 1965, Pakistani dictator
Ayub Khan declared ceasefire.
According to Twitter user Adivaraha, Mehta’s tour to the
Kutch area was already announced in many newspapers.
It’s interesting the incident was lost in the pages of
history, no one ever mentioned or talked about this incident.
Sources:- Old Editions of TOI, HT, GOOGLE, Défense Journals.
Comments
Post a Comment