New Delhi, October 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Spiritual leader Dhirendra Shastri, popularly known as Bageshwar Maharaj, has praised Captain Smit Machchhar for his courage during an attack aboard a Dubai-Tel Aviv flydubai flight, saying that his faith in Lord Hanuman and recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa gave him the confidence to confront the crisis.
Speaking at a spiritual gathering on Sunday, Shastri recalled Captain Machchhar’s account of the incident, which the pilot had shared with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a video call on Friday. Shastri said the captain continued chanting the Hanuman Chalisa while fighting the attacker inside the cockpit and trying to save the passengers.
Expressing his own devotion to Lord Hanuman, Shastri said he took immense pride in reciting the Hanuman Chalisa. He highlighted how the prayer had reportedly helped the captain maintain his courage in a life-threatening situation.
According to Shastri, the aircraft was carrying more than 100 people when the crisis unfolded, leaving the pilots in a state of panic. He said Captain Machchhar risked his life to fight back and prevent the passengers from being killed.
During his conversation with the Prime Minister, Captain Machchhar reportedly said that he continued reciting the Hanuman Chalisa as the aircraft began to plunge. The attacker was identified in the account as the co-pilot.
The wounded captain became emotional while recounting his efforts to stop the attack, saying he had nearly collapsed but knew he had to keep fighting to save those on board.
“I knew that if I did not wake up, nobody would survive. I pushed myself to open the cockpit door. I kept chanting the Hanuman Chalisa, as I always do when confronted with difficult circumstances,” Machchhar told the Prime Minister.
He also shared that he recites the Hanuman Chalisa to his two-year-old son while holding him in his lap every day.
Shastri said the captain’s experience demonstrated how faith in Lord Hanuman could strengthen a person’s self-confidence and resolve during difficult circumstances.
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