The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken strong objection to the portrayal of terrorists in the new Netflix series “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack,” accusing the filmmaker, Anubhav Sinha, of distorting historical facts to obscure the true identities of the hijackers involved in the 1999 Indian Airlines flight hijacking. BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya has criticized the series for what he describes as an attempt to whitewash the role of Pakistani terrorists by assigning them non-Muslim aliases.
According to Malviya, the series undermines the reality of the terrorists’ identities by portraying them with names such as Bhola, Shankar, Doctor, Burger, and Chief. He argues that these names were used by the hijackers to hide their Muslim identities and claims that this misrepresentation could lead viewers to wrongly believe that Hindus were involved in the hijacking. Malviya accused the film of legitimizing the terrorists’ criminal actions and perpetuating a Leftist agenda aimed at obscuring the true nature of the crimes.
The controversy has intensified with criticisms suggesting that such portrayals not only distort historical facts but also weaken national security by shifting blame away from the actual perpetrators. Malviya further accused the Left of using cinema to manipulate public perception and shield the Muslim community from criticism, thereby undermining India’s security and contributing to misinformation about the perpetrators of terrorism.
The series, featuring actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza, and Arvind Swamy, has been well-received by critics but has faced backlash from some social media users. They have called for a boycott of the series, arguing that it hides the real identities of the hijackers involved in the 1999 incident.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has identified the hijackers as Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim, and Shakir, all from Pakistan. According to the MEA, the names used in the series were indeed the codenames used by the hijackers among themselves. On December 24, 1999, Indian Airlines Flight 814, en route from Kathmandu to Delhi, was hijacked and flown to Kandahar, Afghanistan, where the terrorists demanded the release of three Pakistani militants imprisoned in India. The seven-day hostage crisis ended with India agreeing to release the terrorists in exchange for the hostages.
The BJP’s criticisms highlight ongoing tensions over how sensitive historical events are portrayed in media, reflecting broader debates about representation and historical accuracy in popular culture.
