Vinod Raut

Neerja Bhanot, a 22-year-old flight attendant, was on duty aboard Pan Am Flight 73 when it was hijacked during a stopover on 5 September 1986. The hijackers ordered her to collect the passengers’ passports so they could identify and target individuals of certain nationalities, particularly Americans. Recognizing the grave danger this posed, Neerja, along with other crew members, quietly hid many of the American passports. Some were slipped under seats, while others were discreetly discarded down the rubbish chute, making it far more difficult for the hijackers to single out their intended victims. After nearly 17 hours of terror, chaos suddenly erupted inside the aircraft. Neerja quickly opened an emergency door. Though she had the chance to escape first, she instead chose to remain behind, heroically helping passengers — especially unaccompanied children — to safety. Her extraordinary bravery and selflessness cost her her life. Neerja’s courage not only saved countless lives that day but also played a key role in preventing the plane from taking off. One of the children she helped, who was just seven years old at the time, later grew up to become a captain for a major airline. He credits Neerja with inspiring his career and says he owes every single day of his life to her sacrifice.