IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack Controversy: Vijay Verma’s web series ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ was streamed on the OTT platform Netflix on August 29. Immediately after its release, a controversy erupted over it and demands for boycotting it started being made on social media.
In such a situation, Netflix India has now taken an important decision to stop this uproar. Let us tell you all the details from the controversy to the changes regarding ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’.
What is the actual incident?
‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ web series is based on a true incident. On December 24, 1999, Indian Airlines flight IC 814 was hijacked. This flight with 154 passengers had left for Delhi from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu. But five terrorists hijacked it and diverted it to Kandahar in Afghanistan.
The plane remained in the possession of the hijackers for 8 days
The terrorists who hijacked the plane were identified as members of Pakistan’s terrorist organization Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM). These terrorists kept the plane in their possession for 8 days. In exchange for releasing the plane, the hijackers had demanded the release of three high-profile terrorists – Maulana Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar. The Indian government fulfilled their demand to save the lives of the people present in the plane.
Why is there a ruckus about the web series?
The controversy over Anubhav Sinha’s ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ started because viewers started accusing the series of hiding the real identity of the hijackers. People claimed that by using names like “Shankar” and “Bhola” for the terrorists, an attempt was made to hide the fact of their Islamic background. Along with such allegations, there was also a demand on social media to boycott ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’.
Indian government summons Netflix content head
The Indian government paid attention to the growing controversy over ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’. After this, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting sent a summon to Monica Shergill, the content head of Netflix India. In such a situation, Monica Shergill and IB Secretary Sanjay Jaju had a meeting for 40 minutes. In this meeting, it was told that there is a need to be sensitive in dealing with such topics.
Netflix decided to make changes in the web series
After meeting IB Secretary Sanjay Jaju, the team of ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ held a press conference. In this, Netflix India’s Content Head Monica Shergill announced that the names and codes of the hijackers in ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ will be changed. She said – ‘For the benefit of viewers unaware of the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 in 1999, the opening disclaimer has been updated to include the real names and code names of the hijackers.’
Monica further said- ‘The code names in the series reflect the names used during the actual incident. India has a rich culture of storytelling and we are committed to showcasing these stories and their authentic representation.’
Also read: IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack: Netflix’s big decision, after the uproar, the names and codes of the hijackers will be changed in the series
