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The miniseries depicted the events of December 24, 1999, when flight IC-814 was hijacked shortly after departing from Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport. The hostage crisis extended over seven days and concluded when the government, led by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, agreed to release three militants. During the crisis, one passenger was fatally stabbed, and several others sustained injuries.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting summoned the Content Head of Netflix India - Monika Shergill to address the concerns surrounding the miniseries ‘IC 814: The Kandhar Hijack’ which was released on August 29, 2024.
Netflix, however, pledged to be sensitive to India's sentiments while assuring that they would present research documents and footage to support their depiction, arguing that the series was based on publicly available information, including books and government statements.
The Ministry sought clarification from the streaming platform regarding the disclosure of the identities of five hijackers - Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola, and Shankar. This action was taken after a public interest litigation was filed before the Delhi High Court by the President of Hindu Sena seeking a ban on the said miniseries.
The plea stated “The said Miniseries which erroneously depict the real hijackers namely Ibrahim Akhtar, Shahid Akhtar Sayeed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Mistry and Shakir of the hijack of Indian Flight 814 in 1999 with Hindu Names including "Bhola" and "Shankar" which are the names of Lord Shiva which hurts the sentiments of the Hindu Community”.
Inputs: India Today
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