Menu Close

Will respect the sentiments of the nation in our future releases : Netflix assures Govt

New Delhi : The Union Government had summoned Netflix India head for hiding the real names of Jihadi terrorists and giving them Hindu names in the Netflix web series ‘IC814: The Kandahar Hijack’. In a meeting with the Government, Netflix’s India head Monica Shergill assured to respect the national sentiments in their future releases.

The web series tells the story of India’s plane hijack case of 1999. In this story, the terrorists involved in the kidnapping have been named as ‘Chief’, ‘Doctor’, ‘Burger’, ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar’. After widespread criticism on social media, the Union Government intervened and issued a summons to Netflix.

Source : Sanatan Prabhat


Jihadi terrorists given Hindu names in the web series ‘IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack’

3 September 2024

Mumbai – There has been opposition on social media over the last few days against the web series ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ released on the OTT platform Netflix, as the real names of Jihadi terrorists have been hidden and replaced with Hindu names like Bhola and Shankar. Taking note of the same, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has summoned the head of Netflix India. The Information & Broadcasting Ministry has demanded an explanation from the content head of Netflix India about the controversy over the IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack series in connection with the depiction of the hijackers.

This web series was released on August 29. It is directed by Anubhav Sinha. On 24th December 1999, after taking off from Kathmandu, the Indian Airlines flight IC 814 was hijacked by Pakistani terrorists. The web series is based on this incident.

The names of the Jihadi terrorists who hijacked the plane were Ibrahim Athar (Bahawalpur), Shahid Akhtar (Karachi), Sunny Ahmed (Karachi), Zahoor Mistry (Karachi), and Shakir (Sukkur City); however, in the web series, they have been portrayed with Hindu names, such as ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar’, drawing criticism on social media. There have also been appeals to boycott the series. In response, one of the directors of the web series, Mukesh Chhabra, clarified that the terrorists used code names for each other, and proper research was conducted before making this web series.

The Netflix Indmayia content head  have to appear in person before the Ministry to provide clarifications with respect to the series released on August 29. “No one has the right to play with the sentiments of the nation,” a senior official said, confirming that an explanation had been sought.

“Every man and woman in India and indeed in South Asia knows that the hijack of IC-814 from Kathmandu was committed by Pakistan’s ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence)-backed terrorists…nobody thinks that there were some people from India who did the hijacking. So, how the people have Hindu names in that movie, I don’t know…I am happy that the I&B Ministry and the Government of India have taken cognisance of this and summoned Netflix,” former Union Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar told media persons on Monday.

Hours after the series was launched, it triggered a sharp reaction from a large number of social media users who accused the makers of concealing the real identities of the hijackers, and misrepresenting several details of what had actually transpired. Some social media users alleged that, although at some places the real footage had been used, the series’ narrative was riddled with many fictional details. A petition has also been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking a ban on the series.

The hijacking on which the series is based took place on December 24, 1999, when the then Indian Airlines flight IC-814 carrying 179 passengers and 11 crew members from Kathmandu to Delhi was taken over by five terrorists of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.

The airplane was taken to Kandahar in Afghanistan (then under Taliban rule) via Amritsar, Lahore and Dubai, where 27 passengers were let off, and the dead body of one passenger was handed over. The remaining captives were eventually released after the Indian government set free three dreaded terrorists — founder of the Jaish-e-Mohammed Masood Azhar, and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar.

Source : The Hindu

Related News