Ministerial panel recommends death for hijackers
By IANSTuesday, January 12, 2010
NEW DELHI - Hijackers should get the death penalty. That is the recommendation a group of ministers (GoM) on aviation security made Tuesday while it cleared amendments to the Anti-Hijacking Act of 1982.
The proposed amendments include ruling out negotiations with hijackers, shooting down the hijacked aircraft and death penalty to hijackers.
Sources in the home ministry said the GoM was constituted after the amendments were put before the Cabinet Committee on Security some months back.
The meeting was attended by Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Law Minister Veerappa Moily and Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal.
The clause on death penalty to the hijackers had been a debating point as some ministers had a view on the legal aspects of this section. But it has been cleared, a top civil aviation ministry told IANS.
In 2005, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security prepared an aviation security manual listing a three-stage classification process for shooting down a hijacked aircraft.
We have an anti-hijack policy that rules out negotiations with hijackers but it needed to be fine-tuned, said the official.
The recommendations of the GoM will now be presented to parliament for further action.
