Synopsis:
The Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, directed by Anubhav Sinha, has ignited controversy for allegedly changing the religious identities of the terrorists involved in the 1999 Indian Airlines hijacking by giving them Hindu names. This has led to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Delhi High Court, accusing the series of distorting historical facts. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has summoned Netflix India’s content chief for an explanation. In response, Netflix has promised to add disclaimers clarifying the real and code names of the hijackers.
Brief Historic Event Details:
Indian Airlines Flight 814, widely referred to as IC 814, was an Airbus A300 hijacked on December 24, 1999, by five members of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. The passenger flight, which was en route from Kathmandu to Delhi, was seized shortly after entering Indian airspace at approximately 16:53 IST. Onboard the aircraft were 190 people, including 179 passengers and 11 crew members.
The hijacked plane at Kandahar with Taliban men in the foreground Source: Wikipedia
High-jackers
Among the passengers on the flight were five members of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM). According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the hijackers were later identified as Pakistani nationals: Ibrahim Athar from Bahawalpur, Shahid Akhtar Sayeed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, and Zahoor Mistry, all from Karachi, and Shakir from Sukkur. The hijackers referred to themselves using code names—Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola, and Shankar, respectively.
Here is a link to the official statement of Indian Ministry Of External Affairs: https://www.mea.gov.in/Speeches-Statements.htm?dtl/5481/Union+Home+Ministers+StatementIndian+Airlines+Flight+IC814
Source:Netflix India X account
Controversy
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack is a new Netflix web series based on the 1999 Indian Airlines hijacking. The six-episode series has stirred controversy for altering the hijackers’ names to reflect a different religion. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Delhi High Court to ban the series, with Surjit Singh Yadav claiming that the show, directed by Anubhav Sinha, “distorts the actual identities” of the terrorists by assigning them Hindu names.The series has faced criticism for replacing the real names of the Pakistani Islamic terrorists with code names and Hindu names.
Trailer Of IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack
The actual hijackers were Ibrahim Athar from Bahawalpur, Shahid Akhtar Sayeed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Mistry (all from Karachi), and Shakir from Sukkur. However, the series used code names such as Bhola, Shankar, Doctor, Burger, and Chief. Critics argue that this change minimizes the terrorists’ true identities and undermines the historical context and impact of the events.
Veteran journalist Vir Sanghvi criticized the filmmakers for presenting a sanitized version of the hijacking, accusing them of misrepresenting the threat posed by the hijackers. Historian and journalist Hindol Sengupta called the film “pathetic” for its perceived glorification of terrorists and its failure to address the long-term impact of the hijackers’ release. Journalist Neelesh Mishra, who has written about the hijacking, defended the series on Twitter, explaining that the hijackers used false names and that this was how they were referred to during the incident. He also stated that he had not seen the series and could not comment on whether it included the real names of the terrorists.
In response to the public backlash, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has instructed Netflix India’s content chief to provide an explanation regarding the controversial aspects of the series. Netflix has announced it will add new disclaimers to clarify both the real and code names of the hijackers.
Production
In February 2024, Netflix announced the series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, which is adapted from the book “Flight Into Fear” by Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chowdhury. The trailer for the series was released on August 19, 2024.