Author: K V Rajan

The hijacking of IC-814 occurred on December 24, 1999, shortly after it took off from Kathmandu. An armed, masked passenger stormed the cockpit and ordered the pilot to divert the flight away from its destination, Delhi. It ended on December 31 in Kandahar after multiple stopovers, the killing of a passenger, and deplorable mismanagement when it landed for refuelling in Amritsar. The standoff concluded with a deal negotiated between the hijackers and an Indian team, which predictably cost India dearly since it involved the release of hardcore terrorists from Indian detention. The details of the eight-day ordeal are well known,…

K V Rajan In recent months, Nepal has been witnessing growing public sentiment for the revival of monarchy and restoration of its formal Hindu identity–thereby challenging the historic transformation that followed the end of the 10-year long Maoist insurgency and mainstreaming of the Maoists into the democratic polity, which culminated in the declaration of Nepal as a secular federal democratic republic. As of now, this agitation is driven entirely by public frustration. People are disillusioned with the collective failure of political parties to meet even the minimum expectations of governance and inclusive development. There is widespread anger over rampant corruption…