I would've preferred death -- Hostage

I would've preferred death -- Hostage
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 31: "I would have preferred death than seeing India releasing militants in exchange for us," lamented a 60-year-old passenger of the hijacked Indian Airlines (IA) Airbus, Guru Krishnanad Bhat of Garhwal.Krishnanand with flowing beard, who returned home on Friday night after the hostages were released at Kandahar, was highly critical of the Government's decision to release militants.

"Government has not done something good. I would have preferred death for the country," he said. Another passenger Chander Chabra said that they were kept blindfolded for 28 hours and some of them were asked to remove the cloth when the plane landed at Kandahar.

Daman Kumar Soni said initially only two of the five hijackers had pistols and two hand bombs but all of them had pistols in their hands after the plane landed at Kandahar. Both Chabra and Soni said the captors' behaviour was "very rude" and they were "whimsical" in providing food and water to them. Keshav Kandon in his late twenties broke down whenhe met his family members at the airport.