Netflix show on India plane hijacking sparks row

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show on India plane ********** sparks row

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The series has courted controversy over the aliases used by the hijackers

A web series about the 1999 ********** of an Indian passenger plane has sparked a controversy in the country over the portrayal of some of the characters.

Directed by Anubhav Sinha for

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, IC 814: The Kandahar ******* recounts the events surrounding the ********** of a Kathmandu-Delhi flight which was taken to Taliban-ruled Kandahar to demand the release of militants jailed in India.

The negotiations lasted eight days, resulting in the Indian government releasing three militants, including

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, in exchange for the passengers.

India has blamed Azhar, who founded the Jaish-e-Mohammad group after his release, for several attacks in the country. He has also been designated as a ********** by the ******* Nations.

The decision to release Azhar and others ******** controversial in India, with the opposition often criticising the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was also in power in 1999, for the move.

Now, a new series about the ********** has sparked a row.

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A photo of a Taliban security official receiving a paper on which the hijackers had written their demands

What is the controversy?

The six-episode mini-series is based on Flight Into *****: The Captain’s Story, a book by Devi Sharan, who captained the hijacked plane, and journalist Srinjoy Chowdhury.

The series, which was released last week, begins with the hijackers making their way into the flight at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

Within minutes of take-off, the militants announce the flight – carrying 179 passengers including the five hijackers and 11 crew members – has been hijacked.

The series focuses on the interactions between the hijackers, the crew and the passengers, and it also shows Indian government officials working to resolve the crisis.

The row began after some social media users criticised the filmmakers for depicting the hijackers calling each other common Hindu names such as Bhola and Shankar, even though their names were Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim and Shakir. All of them were from Pakistan.

BJP leader Amit Malviya said in a post on X (formerly

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) that by using the hijackers’ “non-*******” aliases in the series, the filmmakers had ensured that people would “think Hindus hijacked IC-814”.

A Hindu right-wing organisation has filed a case in a Delhi court seeking a ban on the series. PTI news agency reported that the petition has accused the filmmaker of distorting crucial facts and misrepresenting historical events.

Several Indian media outlets, citing sources, reported that the federal government held a meeting with a senior

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executive regarding the issue.

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and India’s information and broadcasting ministry have not responded to the BBC’s request for comment.

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The Kandahar ******* recounts the ********** of a Kathmandu-Delhi flight diverted to Taliban-ruled Kandahar

What are the facts?

Many have also defended the series, saying that it is factually accurate.

A

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issued by India’s home ministry in 2000 confirms that the hijackers used such names as aliases to communicate inside and outside the aircraft.

“To the passengers of the hijacked place these hijackers came to be known respectively as (1) Chief, (2) Doctor, (3) Burger, (4) Bhola, and (5) Shankar, the names by which the hijackers invariably addressed one another,” the statement said.

Witnesses and journalists who reported on the incident have also corroborated this in the past.

Kollattu Ravikumar, a survivor of the ********** who worked as a merchant navy captain for a US-based firm, confirmed the aliases in an article on

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in 2000.

“The four hijackers who were watching over us also had a leader called Berger. It was Berger who used to often shout. As Berger called them, I caught the names of the others – Bola, Shankar and Doctor,” he said.

This isn’t the first time that international streaming platforms have received backlash over content on their platforms in India.

In January,

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removed a Tamil-language film after members of hard-line Hindu organisations objected to several scenes. In 2021, the cast and crew of an

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Prime show, Tandav, apologised after being accused of mocking Hindu gods.

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#

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#show #India #plane #********** #sparks #row

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