Neerja Bhanots colleague is NOT happy with Sonam Kapoors Neerja! - Page 7

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kgbG3K3FA2Y here friend /colleague of Neerja called and told about Neerja.

http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao-dc/legacy/2013/08/07/pan_am_73_sentg_narrative.pdf

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22394-2004May12.html

A Day of Horror in 1986 Is Relived
Flight 73 Survivors Testify at Sentencing for Hijacker

By Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 13, 2004; Page A02

Dwijal Dave, 11, was flying home alone to the United States from a visit to his grandparents when hijackers boarded his plane and shot the boy next to him. Gopal Dadhirao's pregnant wife was blown apart before his eyes 18 years ago when the terrorists tossed grenades at the couple's seats on Pan Am Flight 73.

Flight attendant Sunshine Vesuwala became a human shield during the 16-hour siege, as the hijackers' leader pulled her around the plane by the neck, executed American passengers and terrorized all 379 people on board.

One by one, 14 survivors and relatives of the people who died aboard the commandeered aircraft took the witness stand yesterday in a federal courtroom to tell a judge about the horror and loss they endured at the hands of the hijackers' leader, Zayd Hassan Safarini.

Some tearful, some fuming, the victims testified to U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, who is scheduled to decide today whether to impose three consecutive life sentences on Safarini, 41, as part of a plea agreement with the government.

The day-long hearing, which continues briefly this morning with testimony from eight more victims, served as a catharsis for some and a painful reliving of the hours of Sept. 5, 1986, for others.

"Every day I wake up to that horrendous sight of my wife . . . a serene face on one half and a scorched skeleton on the other half," Dadhirao said. "I live each day with guilt that I betrayed her trust: She is dead, and I could not save her."

The Pan Am flight began in Bombay and was headed for New York but was hijacked at the airport during a stopover in Karachi, Pakistan. Four members of the Abu Nidal Organization, a radical Palestinian splinter group, had disguised themselves as Pakistani security guards and boarded the plane with the intention of blowing it up over Israel.

But the crew escaped. The terrorists demanded another pilot to help them take off but opened fire and tossed grenades at the trapped passengers when the plane lost power and no pilot arrived. Safarini and four fellow members of the Abu Nidal group -- including one who helped plan the attack but did not participate -- were convicted in Pakistani courts of the hijacking and of killing 22 people, two of them Americans.

Safarini's Pakistan sentence was commuted after he had served 14 years, and he was released. But FBI agents seized him in the fall of 2001 as part of the Justice Department's pledge to "hunt down all terrorists one by one" and prosecute them.

Sullivan yesterday described Safarini's actions as "horrific criminal activity" and said he plans to recommend that Safarini be kept in solitary confinement in an underground, maximum security federal prison in the Southwest.

"He doesn't deserve to see daylight," Sullivan told the victims. "He has forfeited the right to walk in civilized society ever again."

The Justice Department sought the death penalty for Safarini, but Sullivan ruled last year that federal law at the time did not allow it.

One midwestern scientist whose father was killed on the flight told the judge he respectfully disagreed. "The victims would like to tear him limb from limb and feed his remains as a feast for hyenas and vultures . . . but we respect the rule of law," said Prabhat Krishnaswami. "We believe he deserves three kinds of death penalties, not three life sentences."

More than 70 survivors and relatives attended yesterday's proceedings, traveling from 11 states and five other countries. Many explained that they sought closure by watching Safarini brought to justice; others protested that no penalty would be harsh enough for what they had suffered.

Vesuwala, visibly angry, recounted Safarini's taunting of an American passenger, Rajesh Kumar, whom Safarini had promised to kill if a pilot did not arrive soon. As Kumar cried, Safarini asked him, "Aren't you a man?" He then shot him in the head.

"Well, are you a man?" Vesuwala angrily asked Safarini, who sat at a courtroom table with his defense lawyers and showed little emotion. "A weapon doesn't make someone strong. Put a weapon in my hand. I'll show you."

Originally posted by: Dobby..

This can be possible...they all fight n help together...but neerja lost her life...life is precious...she was young and died helping others...so she and her family deserves this movie...

See it can be a case of Peshawar incident APS . Three ppl emerged as hero. The principal,Asma Tariq and one more I forget name sorry but all survivors are hero
the principal of army public school dnt wanted to come till all kids evacuated in fact army wanted to principal come out but lady gave her live. She was the last along with three.definitely all the martyrs are hero and survivors too u can't deny.

Even if they are her colleagues they can only share their own story. They have absolutely no right to talk about Neerja's soul and Neerja's story.

Ofcourse all the flight attendants were brave helped the passengers as much as possible.But Neerja lost her life,shielding others when she could be the first one to escape.It's this decission of her's more thna her calm composure in the flight makes her the special one.Every cabin crew of that flight did their best to help the passengers and the movie even showed that,they showed other airhostesses collecting passports, hiding american ones, serving water food to the distressed passengers,one air hostess was dragged by the leader terrorist to the cockpit and had to be there for a long time, they were shown helping people getting out of the plane when Neerja opened the emergency door. In no way they were shown not brave,they were shown very brave helpful people.Neerja was the leader as she was the only purser in that flight and when pilots left to protect the plane form moving away,she automatically became the one in charge.He skill,calm and intelligent mind,her compassion to other passengers,her quick mindedness of informing the pilots about the hijack,her opening the emergency exit her decssion to protect the children without caring if bullets hit her, made her a true hero.A life lost is great loss, and a life lost saving 359 people needs to be applauded ,saluted and respected.

Originally posted by: Mallika-E-Bhais

She sounds very jealous & I can't help bit sympathise with her. Neerja deserves this & much more but it must feel horrible to have been a survivor & NOT be venerated for that when by default, this lady should've been one of the first to be applauded. Life needs to be celebrated as much as Death.

Are you sure? Don't you think someone dying is a lot more tragic than a survivor??

Yet to see the film so all I can say is.. if all the crew members were shown to be brave in the situation, its should be good enough. The focus of the movie is Neerja and rightfully so. It would be impossible to have too many subplots... watch LoC... what a pain that movie was!

Originally posted by: MrsJustinBieber

Are you sure? Don't you think someone dying is a lot more tragic than a survivor??

If Neerja Bhanot couldn't hidden all American passports then what would have happen?the survivors went thru exit Door and who was made it possible?It was Neerja. Neerja was awarded 3 awards of 3 different countries

Sorry imo this whole discussion is disturbing.. Neerja is no more with us today to even clarify what she exactly she went through.. The film was only meant to remind people there was such an incident and there was a girl who was an exemplery for bravery and courage.. The director did not undermine anyone's effort in the film, but since the film is on Neerja, her background story was highlighted.. The fact that she was the only crew member who died says alot.. She was in the plane that long enough to have been killed by those terrorists.. Which means she chose to stay behind despite knowing its dangerous for her to stay... Just fot that alone, Neerja deserves every bit of accolade coming her way.. Everyone who helped each other on the ill fated plane is a hero, so is Neerja..