PM Narendra Modi lauded Captain Smit Machchhar in a video call for his heroic act of thwarting a co-pilot attack, saving 180 lives on a flydubai flight. The PM praised his courage, while the emotional pilot called Modi his biggest idol.
PM Modi Praises Hero Pilot’s Courage and Composure
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to Captain Smit Machchhar, the pilot whose heroics in thwarting off an attack from his co-pilot saved 180 lives on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, through a video call and praised his courage, presence of mind and composure.
The Prime Minister said the entire country was praying for Captain Machchhar. During the call, the Captain became emotional and said it was a very special moment for him to speak with the Prime Minister.
The PM began by asking Capt Machchhar,” How are you? How’s your health now?” with the Captain replying “Everything is fine, sir. Everything is fine.” “See, the whole country is praying for you. People are chanting Mahamrityunjaya Mantra for you everywhere. Your courage, your patience, and your wit…I mean, within a fraction of a second, you made a decision and saved so many lives. The entire country can proudly say that we Indians are not people who take lives, we are people who save lives. You got such a big wound on your body, you were fighting a battle for life and death at that time. Even then, you didn’t care about your life, you cared about the lives of all the passengers. And most importantly, you increased the respect of 140 crore countrymen, and that is why I feel proud. Yesterday, I got the opportunity to talk to Bhupendra bhai (Smit’s father), talked to Geeta ben (Smit’s mother), Sonal ben (Smit’s wife). Could not talk to Jhavar and Bobby, but I told Geeta ben that your name is Geeta, but you completely imbibed Krishna’s Geeta, and you made Smit’s life according to the values of that Gita. During the interaction, the PM said the country can proudly say that Indians are not those who take lives, but those who are willing to risk their lives to save others.
‘I Was Fighting for My Life’: Captain Recalls Attack
Captain Machchhar recalled the moments when the cockpit attack took place. “I was in that moment, sir, I was, I was fighting for my life. But one such moment was there when I realized that if I didn’t do anything, because I had fallen down, I had so many injuries that I had fallen down below. I have been a captain for the last 11 years. And I get to know, even with my eyes closed, what is happening in the aircraft. When I had fallen down, then I, then I was feeling that the aircraft is going down. And I totally knew that this is the last few seconds of Smit. And even then, I was trying to crawl. I opened the door, and rest all came…Just after that, people, Saudi and here, where they treated me, and I couldn’t get better care and better medical attention than this,” he told the PM
Captain Smit shared that whenever he is in difficulty, he recites the Hanuman Chalisa. He said he was reciting the Hanuman Chalisa during the cockpit attack as well. “Whenever I feel pain, I just chant Hanuman Chalisa. At that time, too, I was only chanting Hanuman Chalisa. And I know that God is with me. I have not thought even for a moment that I will be able to talk to you ever. I never thought,” Captain Machchhar told the PM,” he said.
‘You Are My Biggest Idol,’ Emotional Captain Tells PM
Captain Smit was overcome with emotion during the call and said it was a very special moment for him to speak with PM Modi. Captain Smit told PM Modi that the Prime Minister is his biggest idol. “You are my biggest idol. I feel proud of the way you are encouraging me today. I had so many injuries, but I told myself I have to get up and act. At the time, I told pushed myself to open the cockpit door,” he said.
The heroic Captain who is now recovering at a hospital in Abu Dhabi says that he is not thining of his injuries and thanked the Saudi and UAE authorities for their help. “I am not thinking about pain like pain because it will make my recovery even more difficult. I am thinking of it as a journey, which will happen slowly and slowly. And it will take time, but I am very, very confident that this recovery will happen and I will get completely well. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the Saudi government and UAE government,” he said.
Investigation Continues as New Footage Emerges
Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Modi lauded Captain Machchhar for his courage and presence of mind during the mid-air cockpit attack, saying the pilot’s valour has made the entire country proud and helped avert a major tragedy
Meanwhile, newly released footage from the flydubai flight shows a bloodied Captain Smit Machchhar lying on the ground outside the cockpit, whose door he earlier managed to click open and, in doing so, helped save the lives of all 180 people on the plane.Machchhar tells the other passenger “the copilot hit me so many times” and that he can move his injured hand but no longer squeeze it shut.
The video resumes after the plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, as medics attend to Machchhar. The new footage was released amid continued investigations into the copilot. Earlier, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that the co-pilot who attacked Captain Smit Machchhar had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)