Shuvo Holi & Dol

 

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.