1999: Muslim who hijacked flight in India slit one passenger’s throat, tried to convert others to Islam

Five members of the jihad group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 (IC 814) on December 24, 1999. In slitting Rupin Katyal’s throat and trying to convert the other passengers to Islam, Shakir was acting in full accord with Islamic teachings. “When you meet the unbelievers, strike the necks,” says the Qur’an (47:4), and it also says “Fight them until persecution is no more and religion is all for Allah” (8:39). Shakir was fighting them and also trying to ensure that their religion was all for Allah.

“IC 814 hijacker, who killed Rupin Katyal, tried to convert passengers to Islam,” by Sushim Mukul, India Today, September 4, 2024:

Held hostage in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and facing a life-and-death situation, the passengers of hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC 814 were also subjected to speeches, calling them to convert to Islam, according to one of the passengers. Those speeches were delivered by the most brutal of the five hijackers, Shakir, who slit the throat of Rupin Katyal, the only passenger who was killed in the 1999 hostage crisis. He asked his hostages to convert to Islam, saying “it was better than Hinduism”.

Shakir, who went by the code name ‘Doctor’, slit the throat of the newly-wed Rupin Katyal, who was returning from his honeymoon in Nepal.

Pooja Kataria, one of the Kandahar Hijack survivors, revealed to Kamaljeet Sandhu of India Today TV the shocking details of the hijacking where Shakir tried to proselytise the trapped passengers onboard IC 814 then standing at Kandahar.

Rupin and Rachna Katyal weren’t the only couple returning from their honeymoon in Nepal, there were 26 others on that ill-fated flight.

Pooja Kataria and her husband, Rakesh, were among the 26 couples.

In a conversation with India Today TV, Chandigarh-based Pooja Kataria recalled the incident, saying Shakir, who hid his identity as ‘Doctor’, seemed to be “very educated”.

“You could tell just by his speech. He gave us three to four speeches about converting to Islam, saying Islam is a very good religion, better than Hinduism,” Pooja told India Today TV.

She added, “We almost got convinced”.

Another passenger on flight IC 814 confirmed to India Today Digital about the speeches by Shakir, urging the hostages to convert to Islam. The passenger said that one of the speeches was rather long.

In addition to attempting to convert the passengers to Islam, the hijackers also solicited charity from them, claiming that “poor Afghanistan” needed their financial help, revealed Pooja Kataria.

The passengers, in turn, collected money and handed over Rs 85,000 to help the war-torn nation out….