Govt Summons Netflix India Officials Over ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ Backlash

The government has summoned Monika Shergill, the content head of Netflix India, to Delhi following a significant online backlash against the streaming platform’s series, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has directed Shergill to appear on Tuesday, September 2, to address concerns over the portrayal of events in the series.

IC 814, a dramatization of the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814 by the Pakistan-based terror group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, has sparked controversy on social media. The series has come under fire for referring to two of the hijackers by Hindu codenames, “Bhola” and “Shankar,” leading to accusations of misrepresentation and potential incitement of religious tensions.

The series, adapted from the book Flight into Fear: The Captain’s Story by journalist Srinjoy Chowdhury and Captain Devi Sharan, explores the harrowing ordeal faced by the passengers and the challenges encountered by the Indian government as the hijacked flight was diverted to multiple locations before ending up in Taliban-controlled Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Critics, including BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya, have condemned the portrayal, claiming it distorts the truth and unfairly represents the hijackers. Malviya argued that the use of Hindu names for the hijackers could lead to historical misunderstandings, suggesting that decades from now, people might mistakenly believe that Hindus were responsible for the hijacking.

In response to the controversy, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah highlighted the irony of the situation, pointing out that many of those criticizing IC 814 had previously accepted films like Kashmir Files as factual accounts. The series, featuring an ensemble cast including Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, and Pankaj Kapur, continues to be at the centre of a heated debate over its portrayal of one of India’s most significant aviation crises.