Amid IC 814 Kandahar Hijack row, a look back at when Indira Gandhi supporters seized a plane with toy guns and a ball

Bholanath Pandey, known for hijacking an Indian Airlines plane in 1978 to protest Indira Gandhi's arrest, has passed away at 74. Pandey's hijacking significantly boosted his political career, leading him to become a two-time Congress MLA. The dramatic hijacking, initially perceived as a genuine threat, turned out to be staged with toy guns and a cricket ball as a fake bomb.