A series inspired by the 1999 IC 814 flight hijack triggered controversy for hurting public sentiments. Here's why...✈️
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00:00He is Mistry Zahor Ibrahim, codename Bhola and he is Shakir, codename Shankar.
00:06They were among the five men who hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999.
00:11But 25 years later, in 2024, it was their codenames that stirred controversy
00:16after the release of the series IC-814 The Kandhar Hijack.
00:20Enjoy the flight.
00:26On 24th December 1999, Indian Airlines Flight 814,
00:30carrying over 170 passengers and crew, was hijacked by five terrorists from Pakistan.
00:35They diverted the Kathmandu-Delhi plane to Kandhar in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
00:50The hijackers were identified as Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Saeed,
01:02Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Mistry Zahor Ibrahim and Shakir.
01:06The eight-day ordeal ended when the Udden Vajpayee government agreed to release three terrorists,
01:11including Masood Azhar, in exchange for the passengers.
01:20I could not pinpoint why I feel this, but I did feel that the passenger and the pilot
01:25had been through an absolutely horrifying time.
01:27Months after the hijack took place, the captain of the plane, Devi Sharan,
01:31recounted the eight days in his book, Flight Into Fear, the captain's story.
01:35Fast forward to 28th August 2024, the web series IC-814 The Kandhar Hijack
01:41was released on an OTT platform, which was inspired by real events
01:45and it was also an adaption of the captain's book.
01:49The characters playing the hijackers in the series were referred to as
01:53Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola and Shankar.
01:57Just after the release, social media users criticised the makers
02:00for giving the hijackers common names like Bhola and Shankar.
02:04Soon, the criticism snowballed into a controversy.
02:07The makers of the series were accused of offending public sentiment,
02:10whitewashing terrorism and distorting crucial facts.
02:14A Hindu right-wing organisation had also filed a case in a Delhi court
02:17seeking a ban on the series.
02:36Boycott Netflix and Boycott Bollywood, these were also trending on social media.
02:41In response to the controversy, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting
02:45summoned the content head of Netflix India, Monica Shergill.
02:48But what's the real story behind the codenames?
02:51According to a statement released by the then Home Minister
02:54in the aftermath of the 1999 hijack incident,
02:57it was confirmed that the hijackers did use codenames such as Bhola and Shankar
03:02to address each other inside the plane.
03:04Shergill addressed the issue and released an official statement
03:08following the outrage on social media.
03:38India has a rich culture of storytelling
03:44and we are committed to showcasing these stories
03:47and their authentic representation.