Father of Indian killed by hijackers seeks death penalty

Gurgaon: The father of an Indian killed by terrorists who hijacked an Indian plane to Afghanistan on 24 December, 1999, wants them to be hanged. He wonders why has it not happened yet.

“We want the hijackers to be prosecuted in India and hanged under Indian law,” said C.P. Katyal, who lives with his wife in Haryana.

Katyal feels that the Indian politicians have failed him and similar victims of terror attacks.

His son, Rupin Katyal, was one of the passengers of the Indian Airlines flight 814 in 1999. The plane carrying 176 people was hijacked by Pakistan-based militant group, Harkat ul-Mujahideen, after it had taken off from Kathmandu.

The plane was confined to the Kandahar airport with the help of Taliban. Rupin, who was returning with his wife, Rachna, from their honeymoon, was dragged out and stabbed to death.

The Indian government finally freed three Pakistani terrorists to free the passengers. Rupin’s killers escaped to Pakistan.

Islamabad has repeatedly denied its involvement in the hijacking.

Fourteen years have gone by since the brutal murder but the Indian government’s failure to act against the killers was chilling, said the 71-year-old Katyal.

Katyal says that one reason why terrorists keep attacking India is because the country’s leaders lack the will to fight them.

“Our soldiers were beheaded and killed on the [Kashmir] border without any reason. But our government welcomes Pakistani leaders [to visit India],” Katyal told IANS.

“I lost my only son but I refused to talk to [then Pakistan president] Pervez Musharraf when he came to India because they [Pakistanis] are untrustworthy.

“I am an ordinary Indian but I have the will to say ‘no’ to injustice. Why can’t our rulers do that?” Katyal asked.

Katyal said the spectacular support showed to the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, indicates that the major political parties have failed to prove that they really care for people.

“Bill Clinton, the then US president, met me in India in April 2000 and assured me that my son’s killers would be handed over to India but the world’s top power failed to keep its commitment,” he added.

Rupin’s widow Rachna was adopted by the Katyals as their daughter and was married again after two years.

Rachna is now an assistant manager with Air India. Her husband works as a manager with a multinational company.