A tragic bond forged by the ruthless hand of terrorism: Pahalgam victims who suffered the cruel fate of the 1999 IC-814 hijack couple
Two women, separated by 26 years but united by a shared, devastating fate, now stand as haunting symbols of lives torn apart by terrorism. Rachna and Himanshi, both newlyweds, lost their husbands in terror attacks they were never meant to witness — victims of circumstances far beyond their control.
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Himanshi's husband, Lt Vinay Narwal, just 26, was among those killed in the
Pahalgam terror attack
on Tuesday. The couple had chosen Kashmir as their honeymoon destination after their plans to visit Switzerland fell through. It was meant to be the beginning of a new life together.
In a chilling parallel, Rachna lost her husband Rupin Katyal under equally tragic circumstances in December 1999. Rupin, only 27, was the sole fatality in the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814, killed just 21 days after marrying Rachna. They had postponed their original flight from Nepal by two days — a twist of fate that placed them on the hijacked aircraft.
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'It's like watching my past unfold again,' said Rachna, who now works with Air India. 'They are so striking that it reminds me of everything that happened to us 26 years ago. Everything is still vivid. We, too, changed our travel plans and were caught in the hijack. Some things are not in your hands,' she said, reflecting on the eerie similarity.
Vivid details, stark similarities
The parallels run deeper. Rupin was a
Gurgaon
resident. Himanshi, too, is from Gurgaon. And both men were in the prime of their lives, just beginning their journeys with their new brides when terror struck.
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Tuesday's tragedy in Kashmir has reopened old wounds for Rachna. 'Such incidents continue unabated. Why is the government not doing anything about it?' she asked. 'Every time such attacks take place, they show the failure of intelligence. It's a cause for concern that the terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack have still not been caught. What happened to me can happen to anyone.'
Rupin's memory remains deeply rooted in Gurgaon. A road near the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway at Iffco Chowk bears his name. His family continues to run a shop in Sadar Bazar and live in Sector 14. His father, Chander Mohan Katyal, passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rupin was brutally stabbed on Christmas Day during the eight-day hijack ordeal. He suffered multiple stab wounds to the face, chest, neck, and abdomen before his body was deplaned in Dubai. At the time, Rachna, just 21, was unaware of his death while still in captivity.
Now, the widely shared image of a grief-stricken Himanshi beside her husband's lifeless body in Pahalgam has brought back memories of that dark chapter in Indian aviation history. It stands as a grim reminder that while time moves on, the trauma of terror leaves scars that never truly fade.
(With ToI inputs)
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