Sartaj Singh
Created by Anubhav Sinha and Trishant Srivastava, ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ chronicles the harrowing story of the Air India flight IC 814’s hijacking and the eight days of torture undergone by its passengers and crew. While the bureaucratic and political machinery slowly came to its decision to negotiate, the life of a passenger had already been lost. Rupesh Singhvi and most of the young male passengers are moved to business class, where their hands and feet are bound. His wife, Archana Singhvi, tries to explain to the terrorists that they have been newly married and begs them not to take him away from her, but to no avail.
However, after a refueling vehicle fails to appear for nearly 20 minutes in Amritsar, the hijackers lose patience, slice Rupesh’s throat, and stab another passenger. The profusely bleeding Rupesh is not allowed to deboard at Lahore for emergency medical aid and passes away. His body is left in Dubai, and Archana does not realize the fate that befell him until much later. Knowing that the Netflix series has primarily stuck to the actual sequence of events that took place based on Devi Sharan and Sringjoy Chowdhury’s 2000 book, ‘Flight Into Fear,’ we are left with questions about what happened to the real-life Archana Singhvi.
Rachna Katyal Kept Searching For Her Husband
Actress Renuka Purohit plays Archana Singhvi, who is the counterpart of Rachna Katyal, a newly married woman who lost her husband, Rupin Katyal, during the hijacking. Actor Nikhil Angrish steps into the role of Rupesh Singhvi, the character that depicts the fate of Rupin Katyal. The latter, a successful business owner, tied the knot with Rachna Katyal on December 3, 1999. The two were on their way back from their honeymoon in Kathmandu, Nepal, when they became hostages on December 24, just 21 days after their marriage.
When Rachna landed back in Delhi after the exchange was completed, she was unaware of the fate that had befallen her husband. The doctor who examined her reported that she was in very bad shape, did not recall anything, and only kept looking for her husband everywhere. “The girl still does not know anything,” said Rupin’s uncle Kanwal Katyal at the time. “We are trying to prepare her mentally, before breaking the news to her.”
Rachna Experienced Profound Grief After Rupin’s Death
Upon hearing the news of Rupin Katyal’s death, his parents and Rachna went into shock, followed by incomprehensible sorrow. C.M. (Chander Mohan) Katyal, Rupin’s father, had persuaded him to take over their family business, Prakash Katyal and Company. Having completed his electronic engineering degree, Rupin had been doing exceptionally well in the business, doubling their turnover between 1996 and 1999. However, their dreams of ambition and prosperity were shattered. C.M. Katyal and his wife adopted Rachna as their own daughter, and he approached Indian Airlines about securing a job for her.
“All through the tragedy, we have tried to protect Rachna as much as possible. She is a brave and intelligent girl,” said C.M. Katyal in an interview. “I know she can rebuild her life. That is why I thought it best that she should start a new life by taking up a job. She began working at my insistence. I knew that if she sat here at home, her mind would keep reliving the horror of the hijack.” Rachna’s in-laws encouraged her to begin a new life for herself and not let grief consume her. She joined Indian Airlines and began studying again to become eligible for promotions and climb the ranks.
She Threw Herself Into Work and Made a New Beginning
Rachna Katyal joined the personnel department of Indian Airlines on humanitarian grounds and began reclaiming her life. The job helped speed up her recovery, as she spent the entire day at work and came home in the evenings to attend classes for her MBA course. Soon, her in-laws began recommending that she re-marry. In 2001, Rachna remarried. C.M. Katyal performed the kanyadaan (wedding ritual). “I gave my daughter Rachna away in marriage. Like any parent, we want to see our daughter settled in life,” he said. In 2002, a senior Indian Airlines official confirmed that Rachna was happily remarried and on maternity leave. She has most likely changed her last name to that of her second husband, who was a manager at a multinational company at the time of marriage.
After the long years since the tragedy, neither Rupin’s parents nor Rachna can make sense of his death. “I want to remember the good time,” she said in a 2009 interview. “I had no idea that he was stabbed. I don’t know why it happened to me.” Rupin’s father continued to pressure politicians for action against the terrorists responsible, and the family may have felt some semblance of relief when one of the hijackers, Mistry Zahoor Ibrahim, was shot by gunmen in Pakistan in 2022. However, two of the hijackers, Ibrahim Azhar and Shahid Akhtar Sayed, remain at large.
Read More: IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack: Where Was the Netflix Show Filmed?
