IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack: Netflix to review content to align with 'national sentiments' in future; Read on

Monika Shergill, Netflix India's Content Head, met with the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday, September 3, to discuss the controversy surrounding the recently-released web series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, starring Vijay Varma. Shergill was called to Shastri Bhawan to address certain issues raised regarding the series, which is based on the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814.

As reported by the media, Netflix has indicated that it will address concerns related to age-appropriateness and national security raised by the series. The company also mentioned that updates will be provided on the steps they plan to take in response to these concerns

The Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, based on the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 (IC-814), has faced significant backlash over the portrayal of the five terrorists involved in the eight-day ordeal. The controversy revolves around the use of code names for the terrorists—'Chief', 'Doctor', 'Burger', 'Bhola', and 'Shankar'—instead of revealing their actual identities, which some critics argue is an attempt to obscure their religious backgrounds.

BJP information cell chief Amit Malviya and others on social media have accused the series of “whitewashing” the religion of the terrorists by avoiding their real names. As the controversy escalated, reports surfaced that Netflix India’s content chief, Monika Shergill, was summoned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to discuss the series.

In January 2000, the Indian government had publicly identified the hijackers and the aliases they used during the hijacking. Then Union Home Minister L.K. Advani stated that the hijackers were Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayeed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim, and Shakir, all of whom were from Pakistan. The aliases they used on the plane were revealed as ‘Chief’ (Sunny Ahmed Qazi), ‘Doctor’ (Shakir), ‘Burger’ (Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim), ‘Bhola’ (Shahid Akhtar Sayed), and ‘Shankar’ (Ibrahim Athar).

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Advani also mentioned that security forces uncovered these identities after arresting four ISI operatives in Mumbai, who were part of the support network for the hijackers. The arrested individuals were identified as Mohammed Rehan, Mohammed Iqbal, Yasuf Nepali, and Abdul Latif. While the first two were Pakistani, Yasuf Nepali was from Nepal, and Abdul Latif was Indian.

Journalist Neelesh Misra, who authored 173 Hours in Captivity—a book on the hijacking—posted on social media platform X, noting that 'Chief' was actually the brother of radical Islamist Maulana Masood Azhar, who was imprisoned in India at the time, and whose release was one of the hijackers' primary demands.

• IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack
• Netflix
• Vijay Verma