Canada Deports 1984 IA Plane Hijacker to India

Canada has deported the mastermind of the 1984 Indian Airline hijack, reported IANS.

Official said that Parminder Singh Saini, 46, who has been taking refuge in Toronto for 15 years and faced deportation to India, was sent to India on Tuesday, report said.

Officials of the Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA) escorted Saini to Toronto airport to board a flight for India, said report.

However, it was not clear which airline flight he was put on his one-way journey to India, said report.

Saini was the leader of five Sikh militants who hijacked an Indian Airlines flight from Srinagar to Delhi on July 6, 1984, with 255 passengers on board and took it to Lahore. The hijack drama ended after a 17-hour standoff, with the hijackers surrendering to the Pakistani authorities, report said.

Sentenced to death by a Lahore court, Saini’s sentence was later commuted to life term. He illegally entered Canada in 1995 after serving the term under the name of Balbir Singh with a fake Afghan passport arranged by the Pakistani, said report.

Report said that he maintained that he lied about his identity for fear of being deported to India.

Saini got a BA degree after his arrival in Toronto and even got a law degree even as the fought his deportation orders, report said.

Last year, Saini applied to the Law Society of Upper Canada to allow him to practice law here. But his application was turned down earlier this month on grounds of his criminal past. Appearing before the Law Society last year, he regretted his past and said he deserves a shot at life in this country.