The country has recently experienced a potential attempt of hijacking a plane for the first time in its history. On the day before yesterday , the state-run Biman Bangladesh Airlines Flight BG-147, a Boeing 737 aircraft, was forced to make an emergency landing at Chattogram's Shah Amanat International Airport at around 5:40 pm, minutes after it flew from the airport. The plane was heading to Dubai from Dhaka via Chattogram, carrying 143 passengers and several crews.
Security forces, including the army, navy, police, SWAT and RAB had surrounded the plane immediately after the landing. The passengers got off the plane through the emergency exit. The commandoes evacuated all of them and shot the alleged hijacker to death--foiling the attempt of a possible hijack by undertaking a swift 8 minute operation. The commando operation ended successfully without any loss of lives and material.
Crews suspected the naive hijacker--a Dubai expatriate Bangladeshi named Majidul Haq Mahadi--when he behaved weirdly, and had warned the captain. Later the alleged kidnapper was found to be in possession of a pistol and an explosive vest, though it wasn't confirmed whether they were real or not. The hijacker took hostage a crew on board. According to a passenger, a Malaysian national, the suspect knocked on the cockpit door time and again, asked the crew members to open it and fired three shots at the door, but could not get in.
The hijacker is reported to talk with his wife and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina before his death. But he was not given the chance. The bullet-hit man was brought out of the plane and taken to an on-duty doctor, who declared him dead.
However, it is a matter of great surprise that a man, seemingly a na�ve hijacker, entered an international airport and boarded an airplane with a firearm by averting at least two body checking posts. The incident raises a big question on the professional aptitude of security officials responsible.
Several top officials ensured of a rigorous investigation to be carried out. At the same time another drama unfolded when the state minister for civil aviation ministry stated that the hijacker was carrying a 'toy gun'. Commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police also issued a similar statement. Both statements considering the authenticity of the weapon raises the serious question whether the 'toy gun' story is made up to evade responsibility or not.
We are thankful to our armed forces and law enforcement agencies which have always remained extraordinarily alert in the face of any national security crisis. In this case, if they hadn't responded promptly the situation could have become worse.
We call for close scrutiny of all passengers and their hand languages before boarding the aircraft.
We hope the probe report of the Civil Aviation Ministry's investigation committee will be released soon and our airports' security authorities will be diligent enough to deter such unwarranted occurrences.
