The Kandahar Hijack – Beyond Bollywood

A statement from then Home Minister on the MEA portal clearly mentions that hijackers used aliases such as Bhola, Shankar.

By Mayur Lookhar

The Information & Broadcasting Ministry has summoned Netflix India Content Head Monika Shergill over the controversy surrounding the web series IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack (2024). The series, based on the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814, faced backlash when netizens criticised director Anubhav Sinha and Netflix for using Hindu names like Bhola and Shankar for two of the hijackers.

However, evidence has emerged that supports the accuracy of the series. A statement from then Home Minister L.K. Advani, dated 6 January 2000, confirms that the hijackers did use aliases such as Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola, and Shankar to communicate with each other on the aircraft. The statement clearly mentions that these were the names by which the hijackers were known to the passengers.

The real names of the terrorists 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

All of them were Pakistani citizens.

This evidence undermines the allegations of distortion against Anubhav Sinha and Netflix. At the time, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government faced significant pressure from the families of the hostages and coalition politics, which led to the difficult decision to release three terrorists: Maulana Masood Azhar, Omar Sheikh, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar.

With the smoke cleared, one can hope that the series is allowed to stream without any interruption.