Netflix Series Reveals Details of 1999 IC 814 Hijacking
New Netflix Series Explores IC 814 Hijacking in Depth, Including RAW and MEA Officials’ Controversial Accountability Talks
The head of Netflix India has been summoned by the government amid controversy surrounding the web series ‘IC 814,’ which dramatizes the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight.
The hijacking led to a high-stakes negotiation where India agreed to release three prisoners—Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar—in exchange for the release of passengers held hostage at Kandahar Airport in Afghanistan. This incident highlighted a significant security lapse for the Indian government.
According to NDTV, the summons from the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting follows widespread criticism on social media. Critics have accused the series of intentionally altering the names of the hijackers to “Bhola” and “Shankar.”
Directed by Anubhav Sinha, the series is based on the book ‘Flight Into Fear: The Captain’s Story’ by Devi Sharan, the flight’s captain, and journalist Srinjoy Chowdhury.
On December 24, 1999, Indian Airlines flight IC 814 departed from Kathmandu, Nepal, heading towards Delhi, India. The flight was carrying 180 people, including both crew and passengers.
The Netflix series, presented in episodes, provides a comprehensive account of the hijacking. During the incident, the hijackers released 27 of the 176 passengers in Dubai but also fatally stabbed one person and injured several others. The hijacking, which lasted a week, eventually ended with all remaining passengers being released.
In the series, high-ranking officials from India’s RAW and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) are shown discussing who would be held accountable for the hijacking, reflecting the severe security lapses that occurred.
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