ABVP Asks Government to Give Ashoka Chakra to Pilot Who Blocked Hijack

Pilot Honors

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad has asked the Indian government to award the Ashoka Chakra to Captain Smit Machchhar for extraordinary courage during a flight. Machchhar was flying flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv when his co-pilot attacked him in the cockpit. The Boeing 737 MAX dropped nearly 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds during the violent struggle. The 39-year-old pilot fought back despite injuries, unlocked the cockpit door, and let passengers and crew rush in to stop the attacker. Two off-duty flydubai pilots on board then helped level the plane and landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, saving the 174 passengers on board. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later spoke with Machchhar and invited both him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel to light a ceremonial flame on Independence Day.

Student Elections

The ABVP meeting in Itanagar also reviewed recent student union election victories across several states and universities. The student group won the president's post at Delhi and Panjab Universities. In Uttarakhand, it won 64 of 92 colleges, taking 54 president posts. The group secured 33 of 38 seats at Haryana University, swept all 14 seats at Sanskrit College in Kerala, and won three seats at Gauhati University. ABVP National General Secretary Virendra Singh Solanki stated that these results show the active participation and nationalist outlook of India's Gen-Z.

Context

The Ashoka Chakra is India's highest peacetime gallantry award for civilians and military personnel, with historical precedents including awards given to Pan Am flight attendant Neerja Bhanot and Air India captain D N Jatar for handling emergencies abroad.