Flydubai Captain Smit Machchhar, who was stabbed by his co-pilot during the mid-air cockpit attack, has been airlifted from Tabuk, Saudi Arabia today to Abu Dhabi for further treatment. World leaders hailed the brave Indian captain for saving the lives of passengers, after he was stabbed by his co-pilot, said to be from Oman.
The blood-soaked captain immediately pressed the emergency code button alerting airports, after the plane took off from Dubai for Tel Aviv. Most of the passengers were Israeli and there were four US nationals. There was panic on board Flydubai’s FZ1073 flight. Two passengers entered the cockpit and overpowered the attacker, while two travellers, who knew flying, took over. In the chaos, the plane had dropped 16,000 feet below within a minute. Israeli internal security agents have reached Dubai for investigation. US President Donald Trump, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu described the Indian captain as a “true hero”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X : “Captain Smit Machchhar has shown the world, the highest form of courage. Without fearing for his own life, he fought valiantly and prevented another 9/11 like attack from happening. 140 crore Indians salute Captain Smit and are praying for his well-being.”. Modi spoke on phone with Capt Smit’s parents and wife.
A big air tragedy was averted after the cockpit attack. Had there been no pilots going as travellers, the plane could have spiralled out of control. Israeli Defence Force scrambled its fighter jets in the air to save the plane. Capt. Smit Machchhar not only saved the lives of air travellers but also raised the prestige of every Indian in the world. People over the world know how Indians try to save others’ lives during crisis. The soil of India carries the fragrance of valour and benevolence. They can be rest assured, wherever there is an Indian, there is safety. We pray to Almighty so that Capt Machchhar recovers soon and live long.
Can Amit Shah make Punjab drugs-free?
Addressing a rally in Jalandhar, Punjab, yesterday, Home Minister Amit Shah promised to free India from the scourge of drugs by December 31, 2029. Shah recalled how his party had promised to abolish Article 370, eradicate Maoism in India and end insurgency in the north-east. He said, Naxalism has been eradicated and this time, drug traders will be stamped out. BJP has made drugs as its main election issue in Punjab polls.
On yesterday, Indian Coast Guard, in a joint operation, stopped an Iranian boat that had left Iran 10 days ago, stopped over in Pakistan, loaded drugs and was heading towards Indian coast. 526 kg drugs worth Rs 3,000 crore were seized and five Pakistani nationals, who were on the boat, were nabbed. In Punjab yesterday, 3.5 kg drugs and a big quantity of weapons were seized. The overall drugs scene in Punjab is scary. The rate of drugs smuggling in that state is the highest in India. One of every 5 Punjabi is addicted to drugs. More than 67,000 youths are habitual users of ‘chitta’ (drugs).
Nearly seven lakh adolescents in the 10-17 age group, are also drug addicts. The number of deaths due to drugs is the highest in Punjab. More than 12 lakh victims being treated in drug addiction centres/ Amit Shah realized this bitter truth. He met the parents of victims, understood their pain, and spread his message to every constituency. The BJP may get gains if this movement gains speed, but Amit Shah will have to stick to his deadline for eradicating drugs in Punjab.
Election Commission: Opposition found an excuse for defeats
INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi was attended by top opposition leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Mamata Banerjee, Tejashwi Yadav, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Supriya Sule and others. Hemant Soren and Uddhav Thackeray joined virtually, Akhilesh Yadav skipped and DMK and AAP decided not to attend. It was decided opposition MPs will march to Election Commission on October 6 and five big rallies will be held, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Patna.
The block decided to file petition challenging law to grant immunity to CEC even after retirement. This was the only new point that emerged from the meeting. It needs to be pointed out that those leaders who attended INDIA block meeting lead parties which lost elections. ‘ They have all found the main excuse behind their defeat in Election Commission. This is required because these leaders will have to tell their supporters why the parties lost. Rahul Gandhi has a problem. In the last 12 years, he has used adjectives against Prime Minister Modi, like ‘darpok’ (coward), ‘kaayar (coward), ‘compromised’ and ‘kamzor’ (weak). It appears as if Rahul Gandhi is always trying to convince himself that Modi can be defeated. But he forgets that in order to achieve this, he has to go among the masses, exert his party’s full strength for a win, and take other parties along to carve out a win. Only making REELS thru camera won’t help.