The horror of the hijacked flight, IC 814, is still afresh in the hearts of countless Indians, who prayed for the safety of every passenger. It was on December 24, 1999, when five terrorists hijacked the Indian Airlines flight, which had over 170 passengers. The terrorists captured the passengers for over a week. While the Indian Government was successfully able to release the hostages, there was one passenger, Rupin Katyal, who was stabbed to death.
Recently, Anubhav Sinha's web series IC814: The Kandahar Hijack on Netflix, which stars Vijay Verma, Dia Mirza, and Patralekha in the lead, recaps the heart-wrenching real-life event which tries to portray the ordeal the passengers, their families, including many Indians, who became witness of the gruesome incident.
Rachna Katyal was a 20-year-old newly married passenger on the hijacked flight, IC-814. She was returning from Kathmandu with her husband, Rupin Katyal. The couple was on honeymoon when they became hostages in 1999, just 21 days after their marriage. In the web series, Renuka Purohit beautifully played the character of Rachna Katyal.
Rupin Katyal was a successful business owner. On December 3, 1999, he married Rachna Katyal from Guhana, Sonepat. In an old media interaction, Rachna revealed that she was just twenty years old when her parents fixed her marriage.
Talking about her first meeting with Rupin, Rachna shared that her parents selected him because he was well-educated, intelligent, and very good-natured. She also shared how she liked Rupin in the first meeting.
"I met Rupin and liked him immediately. He was very easy to get along with, and we went out together a few times before we actually got married on December 3, 1999."
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Rupin Katyal was killed on the very first day of the hijack when he was moved to business class along with nine other passengers. Rupin, who was the only son of his parents, was succumbed to death after he was brutally killed. His body was deplaned from the plane in Dubai, and Rachna had no idea about his death. She was under the impression that he was in a hospital in Dubai.
Rachna's family and in-laws tried to keep her away from the media glares and the news of her husband, Rupin's death. As soon as she landed her father-in-law told her that Rupin was in hospital and took her home quickly. She had not even seen her husband's kriya. And it was much later, she was informed about his death.
Rachna started becoming hysterical to a point that her father-in-law had to tell her the truth. Recalling the moment, in an interaction, Rachna said:
"It was only when I repeatedly kept asking for Ripan and they could avoid it no longer that I was finally told the truth. I think I was becoming hysterical so my father-in-law finally pointed to a large photograph of Ripan and brokenly told me, "That is your Ripan. That is all that we have of him."
Her father-in-law adopted Rachna Katyal after Rupin Katyal's death. Her father-in-law requested a job for her, and she joined the personnel department of Indian Airlines. The job helped her get back in life, and it was her in-laws who recommended she get married. In 2001, Rachna was remarried, and in 2002, she delivered her first child. According to airlines official, Rachna changed her last name to her second husband, who works at an MNC.
Rachna Katyal and Rupin Katyal's short-lived marriage tells a tale of how life is so fickle.
Next Read: Who Was Rupin Katyal On Hijacked 'IC 814'? Murdered By Terrorist, His Newly-Married Wife Had No Idea
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