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Opinion August 13, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Japan Plane Crash

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on August 13, 1985.

August 13, 2025 10:39 AM IST First published on: Aug 13, 2025 at 10:39 AM IST

A Japanese Boeing 747 carrying 524 people crashed and burned in the mountains near Tokyo in what could be the worst disaster in history involving a single aircraft. (UPI quoted authorities as saying that the plane crashed after a cabin door seal burst, while Kyodo said that hopes for survivors were faint.) A Transport Ministry spokesman told reporters the pilot reported losing control minutes after leaving the runway.

Assam Breakthrough

PM Rajiv Gandhi said the “good news” of a solution to the Assam problem would be known soon and there would be no “losers or winners”. He was addressing a public meeting at Judges Field in Guwahati. However, Gandhi, when asked at the airport whether the “good news” was breaking before August 15, told ENS, “I cannot tell you the time. There are hundreds of things. It will be known soon.”

Oppn Walk-out

Almost the entire Opposition walked out of the Lok Sabha in protest against the introduction of a bill to extend the Essential Services Maintenance Act for a further five years. Describing ESMA as a draconian, anti-working class measure, Opposition members vehemently objected to the move to give it a new lease of life. The amendment was introduced by Arif Mohammed Khan, Minister of State for Home Affairs.

SGPC Lawsuit

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and its president, G S Tohra, filed a suit against the government for the recovery of Rs 1,000 crore as damages for the loss caused to moveable and immovable property of various gurdwaras in Punjab during the Army action in June last year. The suit demanded an injunction directing the defendants and their principal functionaries to tender an unqualified apology before the Sikh “sangat”.