Netflix's 'IC 814' Draws I&B Ministry Ire Over Hijacker Portrayal

New Delhi- The content head of Netflix India has been summoned by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) over the ‘IC 814’ web series. The series, which was based on the real-life hijacking of an aircraft in 1999, has been criticised for showcasing the country’s terrorists.

The series refers to the five hijackers of the Kathmandu-Delhi flight by the names Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola, and Shankar. This depiction has sparked criticism, particularly from political figures. BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar voiced his concerns, stating, "I vividly recall the IC-814 incident. I closely followed it at the time. Every Indian knows that the hijacking of IC-814 from Kathmandu was orchestrated by terrorists backed by Pakistan's ISI. The use of Hindu names for the hijackers in the series is perplexing. However, I am pleased that the I&B Ministry and the Government of India have taken note and summoned Netflix."

Created by Anubhav Sinha and Trishant Shrivastava, the series stars prominent actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Vijay Varma, Arvind Swamy, Patralekhaa, and Dia Mirza. The six-episode drama is based on the real events of December 24, 1999, when Indian Airlines flight IC 814 was hijacked while en route from Kathmandu to Delhi shortly after entering Indian airspace.

The hijackers, disguised as passengers, took control of the aircraft shortly after takeoff. The hostage crisis lasted seven days and ended when the government, led by then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, agreed to release three militants in exchange for the hostages. There were 191 passengers and 15 crew members on board, one of whom was fatally stabbed, while several others sustained injuries.

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya also expressed his concerns on social media, stating, "The IC-814 hijackers were notorious terrorists who used aliases to hide their Muslim identities. Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha has distorted the narrative by giving them non-Muslim names. This could mislead future generations into believing that Hindus were responsible for the IC-814 hijacking."

Malviya further warned that such portrayals could undermine India's security agencies and deflect blame from the real culprits.

In a statement to Parliament, then-External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh explained that the hijacked plane made multiple stops at Amritsar, Lahore, and Dubai before reaching Kandahar, Afghanistan. The Indian government ultimately released three terrorists—Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar—from Indian prisons in exchange for the hostages' release.

A Union Home Ministry statement issued on January 6, 2000, identified the hijackers as Ibrahim Athar from Bahawalpur; Shahid Akhtar Sayed from Karachi; Sunny Ahmed Qazi from Karachi; Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim from Karachi; and Shakir from Sukkur city. During the hijacking, the hijackers used aliases like Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola, and Shankar to address each other.