Netflix's IC814 in #Boycott Turbulence: Was the Kandahar hijacker Bhola, Shankar or Shahid, Shakir? What the MEA said

“IC 814: The Taking of Kandahar,” director Anubhav Sinha's new drama that was released on Netflix over the weekend, was heavily criticized on social media, with many even calling for a boycott. The play is based on the 1999 incident in which an Air India flight was hijacked by terrorists.

While critics were well received, many were upset by what they called a “whitewashing” of the incident and the “change” of the terrorists' names.

Also Read | “Boycott IC 814 Kandahar Hijacking”: Netizens are dissatisfied with Anubhav Sinha for the following reasons

Here's everything you need to know about the hijacking, the show and the real names of the terrorists.

1999 Kandahar hijacking

On December 24, 1999, Air India Flight 814 (commonly known as IC 814) was hijacked on its way from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. It flew to multiple locations and landed in a Taliban-controlled area. of Kandahar.

The motive was to secure the release of Pakistani terrorists – Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar and Mushtaq Ahmed Zagar – who were lodged in Indian jails. The seven-day hostage crisis ended after India agreed to release three terrorists. Since then, the three have been implicated in other terrorist acts, such as the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl, the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, the 2016 Pathankot attack and the 2019 Pulwama attack.

Netflix shows

IC-814 Kandahar Hijacking Starring: Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza, Arvind Swamy and Dia Mirza. The series was well received by critics.

News18 Showsha gave the show a rating of 3.5/5 and wrote, “IC-814: The Kidnapping of Kandahar is a gripping drama made even more exciting by its stellar cast. Vijay Varma, Dia ·The performances of Mirza, Patlal Kajal, Kumud Mishra and Arvind Swamy add layers of complexity to an already tense storyline, making it one of those immersive historical dramas and realities A must-read for anyone interested in life events.

dispute

In the show, the names of the terrorists are Bhola, Shankar, Doctor, Burger and Chief. The series seems to suggest that terrorists have codenames.

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

One user called it “unacceptable,” while another even called it “letting the terrorists win.”

official truth

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the hijackers were Ibrahim Attar, Bahawalpur; Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Gulshan Iqbal, Karachi; Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Defense Zone, Karachi; Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim, Akhtar Colony, Karachi ; Shakir, Sukkur City.

According to the MEA website, “… to passengers, the hijackers were known as (1) Chief, (2) Doctor, (3) Burger, (4) Bhola and (5) Shankar. The name is the name used by the hijacker.

Sinha's reaction

While Sinha is yet to respond, he retweeted another user's explanation on X. They asked why not use their real names? Calling them “Bhola” and “Shankar” is an insult to Hinduism. The fact is that the hijackers used that name to gain access to the plane. His real name also appears at the end of the series. For your convenience, I have also attached this section from the government release. There must also be intelligence in the opposition. By @Siddhantmt”