India's federal cabinet Friday approved changes to an anti-hijacking law to award the death penalty to hijackers, news reports said. The proposed amendments also allow the Indian Air Force to shoot down a hijacked plane if there is evidence that it could be used as a missile to hit a vital installation, IANS news agency reported.
The proposed changes to the Anti-Hijacking act of 1982 have to be approved by parliament. The new measures are aimed to deter hijackers, Ambika Soni, federal minister for information and broadcasting, was quoted as saying after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"As there is talk of abolishing the death sentence world-wide, the government constituted a group of ministers to discuss this issue. The proposal has been approved by the cabinet," Soni said. She said the government would place the proposed amendments before parliament in April.
The cabinet decision follows a prolonged debate on the need to strengthen the anti-hijacking law after the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines aircraft to Kandahar in Afghanistan. The government released three jailed militants in exchange for the safety of the passengers and crew of the aircraft.
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