This is the front page of The Indian Express published on September 12, 1984, Forty Years Ago.
The bullet-riddled bodies of 26 Tamils were picked up from two places at Poovarasankuppam, near Sri Lanka’s north Vavuniya town after a Colombo-Jaffna private passenger bus was hijacked by men in Army uniform, according to informed sources. The sources, who did not want to be identified, said the bus was carrying between 40 and 50 passengers.
Assembly Adjourned
The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, which met in a surcharged atmosphere, was adjourned amidst the pandemonium without transacting even the lone item on the agenda — a condolence resolution. The session broke off in less than two minutes when shouts drowned the reading of the resolution by the pro tem Speaker M Baga Reddy.
Hijackers’ Pak Link
The hijackers of the Indian Airlines Boeing, which was hijacked to Dubai last month, have confessed that a pistol was handed over to them at the Lahore airport, according to AIR. Quoting a spokesman of the CBI, AIR said a tall man wearing a salwar kameez gave the pistol to the leader of the hijackers. The investigations also indicated that a rich contractor in Punjab was behind the hijacking.
Show Gone Wrong
The Indian tour of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra had a cacophonous beginning as scores of members of the troupe walked out of their rooms in Ashok Hotel complaining of bugs, cockroaches, filth and a foul smell. By evening, many had shifted to other hotels in the city. The press was denied photography of the troupe which had them screaming about emergency-like tactics.
