Netflix’s IC814 In #Boycott Turbulence: Kandahar Hijackers Were Bhola, Shankar Or Shahid, Shakir? What MEA Said

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, director Anubhav Sinha’s new series released on Netflix over the weekend, is being panned on social media, with many even demanding a boycott. The show is based on the the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight by terrorists.

While critics have got good reviews, many are upset over what they called “whitewashing” of the events and the names of the terrorists “being changed”.

Here’s all you need to know about the hijacking, the show, the actual names of the terrorists according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Sinha’s reaction.

THE 1999 KANDAHAR HIJACKING

On December 24, 1999, the Indian Airlines Flight 814, commonly known as IC 814, en route from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi was hijacked and flown to several locations before landing in Taliban-controlled Kandahar, Afghanistan.

The motive was to secure the release of Pakistani terrorists held in prison in India – Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar. The hostage crisis, which lasted for seven days, ended after India agreed to release the three terrorists. The three have since been implicated in other terrorist actions, such as the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, 2002 kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack.

THE NETFLIX SHOW

IC-814 The Kandahar Hijack features Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza, Arvind Swamy and Dia Mirza. The series has been well-received by critics.

News18 Showsha gave the series a 3.5/5 rating and wrote, “IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack is a gripping series elevated by its stellar cast. The performances of Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza, Patralekhaa, Kumud Mishra, and Arvind Swami add layers of complexity to an already tense storyline, making it a must-watch for those interested in historical dramas and real-life events.”

THE CONTROVERSY

In the series, the terrorists have been named Bhola, Shankar, Doctor, Burger and Chief. The series seemingly hinted that the terrorists had codenames.

However, the hijackers were Muslims from Pakistan. This has irked many, who have called it “whitewashing”.

While one user called it “unacceptable”, another went to the extent of calling it “allowing the terrorists to win”.

THE OFFICIAL TRUTH

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the hijackers were Ibrahim Athar, Bahawalpur; Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Gulshan Iqbal, Karachi; Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Defence Area, Karachi; Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim, Akhtar Colony, Karachi; Shakir, Sukkur city.

According to the MEA website, “…to the passengers, 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…”

SINHA’s REACTION

While Sinha is yet to give a reaction, he reposted an explanation given by another user, Dr Arunesh Kumar Yadav, on X (above). The post read: “Some people are creating a ruckus over the names of the hijackers. They are asking why their real names were not used? Calling them ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar’ is an insult to Hinduism. The truth is that the hijackers entered the plane with this name. His real name also appears at the end of the series. For your convenience, I am also attaching that part of the government release. There must also be intelligence in the opposition. Via @Siddhantmt”