IC 814: Netflix show on India plane hijacking sparks row

A web series about the 1999 hijacking of an Indian passenger plane has sparked a controversy in the country over the portrayal of some of the characters.

Directed by Anubhav Sinha for Netflix, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack recounts the events surrounding the hijacking of a Kathmandu-Delhi flight which was taken to Taliban-ruled Kandahar to demand the release of militants jailed in India.

The controversy over the show, sparked by social media viewers, centred on the hijackers' names in the film.

Reports suggest Netflix was summoned by the federal government regarding the issue. The streaming platform has also changed the disclaimer at the beginning of the show.

The eight-day hijack ended after a deal between the Indian government and the hijackers, with India releasing three militants, including Masood Azhar, in exchange for the passengers.

India has blamed Azhar, who founded the Jaish-e-Mohammad group after his release, for several attacks in the country. He has also been designated as a terrorist by the United Nations.

The decision to release Azhar and others remains controversial in India, with the opposition often criticising the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was also in power in 1999, for the move.

The six-episode mini-series is based on Flight Into Fear: The Captain's Story, a book by Devi Sharan, who captained the hijacked plane, and journalist Srinjoy Chowdhury.

The series, which was released last week, begins with the hijackers making their way into the flight at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

Within minutes of take-off, the militants announce the flight - carrying 179 passengers including the five hijackers and 11 crew members - has been hijacked.

The series focuses on the interactions between the hijackers, the crew and the passengers, and it also shows Indian government officials working to resolve the crisis.

The row began after some social media users criticised the filmmakers for depicting the hijackers calling each other common Hindu names such as Bhola and Shankar, even though their names were Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim and Shakir. All of them were from Pakistan.

BJP leader Amit Malviya said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that by using the hijackers’ “non-Muslim” aliases in the series, the filmmakers had ensured that people would “think Hindus hijacked IC-814”.

A Hindu right-wing organisation has filed a case in a Delhi court seeking a ban on the series. PTI news agency reported that the petition has accused the filmmaker of distorting crucial facts and misrepresenting historical events.

Several Indian media outlets, citing sources, reported that the federal government held a meeting with a senior Netflix executive regarding the issue.

Netflix and India’s information and broadcasting ministry have not responded to the BBC’s request for comment.

Many have also defended the series, saying that it is factually accurate.

A statement, external issued by India’s home ministry in 2000 confirms that the hijackers used such names as aliases to communicate inside and outside the aircraft.

“To the passengers of the hijacked place these hijackers came to be known respectively as (1) Chief, (2) Doctor, (3) Burger, (4) Bhola, and (5) Shankar, the names by which the hijackers invariably addressed one another,” the statement said.

Witnesses and journalists who reported on the incident have also corroborated this in the past.

Kollattu Ravikumar, a survivor of the hijacking who worked as a merchant navy captain for a US-based firm, confirmed the aliases in an article on Rediff news portal, external in 2000.

“The four hijackers who were watching over us also had a leader called Berger. It was Berger who used to often shout. As Berger called them, I caught the names of the others - Bola, Shankar and Doctor,” he said.

After the row, Netflix issued a statement saying it had updated the disclaimer which appears on screen before the episodes begin.

"For the benefit of audiences unfamiliar with the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814, the opening disclaimer has been updated to include the real and code names of the hijackers," it said.

This isn’t the first time that international streaming platforms have received backlash over content on their platforms in India.

In January, Netflix removed a Tamil-language film after members of hard-line Hindu organisations objected to several scenes. In 2021, the cast and crew of an Amazon Prime show, Tandav, apologised after being accused of mocking Hindu gods.