'We have seized the aircraft ...'
IC 814 - The Web-series:
Humanising the Demons
Anubhav Sinha’s six-part web series, IC 814: The Kandhar Hijack, streaming on Netflix, has sparked considerable controversy, leading the Indian government to summon a senior Netflix executive for a discussion. The show undermines historical accuracy by disconnecting the Pakistan Army’s ISI from the hijacking and depicting the Taliban in an unexpectedly favorable light. This portrayal is particularly perplexing, given that it was the ISI-Taliban nexus responsible for orchestrating the hijack. One might wonder why the director is intent on exonerating the ISI, a move that seems only logical if the series were produced under their influence.
The Indian government is taking these concerns seriously. For context, the series is inspired by Flight into Fear by Captain D. Sharan and Serena CH, which recounts the hijacking from the perspective of the aircraft's captain. The most contentious issue is the use of Hindu names for the hijackers. While the hijackers did indeed use Hindu aliases, which the show accurately reflects, it fails to reveal their true identities. The series misleadingly suggests that R&AW had prior knowledge of the plot and even that an Indian agent attempted to prevent the plane’s departure—claims that are entirely baseless. Additionally, the show inaccurately portrays R&AW as engaging in the torture of Nepalese civilians to extract information, a distortion of the facts.
Such distortions are central to the series’ narrative, which implies that while the terrorists were undeniably malevolent, the Indian government was not much better—depicted as inept and morally dubious.
The Hijacking!
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| The hijacked plane at Kandahar with Taliban men in the foreground |
The hijacking occurred on December 24, 1999. Indian Airlines Flight 814, an Airbus A300, was hijacked by five terrorists from Harkat-ul-Mujahideen shortly after entering Indian airspace at 16:53 IST. The aircraft, en route from Kathmandu to Delhi, had 190 occupants, including 179 passengers and 11 crew members: Captain Devi Sharan, First Officer Rajinder Kumar, and Flight Engineer Anil Kumar Jaggia.
The hijackers diverted the aircraft to Amritsar, Lahore, and Dubai. In Dubai, they released 27 passengers, including a critically injured hostage. On December 25, they forced the plane to land in Taliban-controlled Kandahar, Afghanistan. The presence of Taliban and ISI officers hindered external intervention.
On December 27, India sent negotiators led by Vivek Katju to secure the release of the hostages. The hijackers demanded the release of three Pakistani prisoners—Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar. India agreed to this exchange.
The crisis ended on December 31 when the hostages were released. The terrorists were then transported to Pakistan by the Taliban. Of ten people charged by the Central Bureau of Investigation, only two were convicted.
Aftermath...
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| Freed passengers of the hijacked plane exit the aircraft after a 7-day nightmare (Reuters) |
By January 6, 2000, the Indian government had identified the hijackers as Pakistani nationals, not locals. Home Minister Advani's statement revealed that the hijacking was orchestrated by the ISI and meticulously planned over a year. Intelligence agencies traced communications from Rawalpindi to Mumbai, implicating Abdul Latif, who facilitated the hijackers with false passports and visas. The hijackers used aliases like Bhola and Shankar to mislead passengers and crew.
The Home Minister’s statement also highlighted Pakistani officials' involvement and the subsequent release of terrorists in exchange for the passengers. The Punjab and Haryana High Court reaffirmed the convictions of the suspects, noting that many traveled under aliases. The court confirmed the involvement of both Indian and Pakistani nationals, with several accused declared proclaimed offenders.
Additionally, KPS Gill’s analysis of lapses at Amritsar airport sheds light on failures in response protocols, underscoring how complacency allowed the hijackers to execute their plan despite existing warnings.
The three released terrorists and the hijackers have since been implicated in other major attacks, including the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2002 kidnapping and murder of Daniel Pearl, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot attack, and the 2019 Pulwama attack. The series' use of false names and whitewashing of the ISI’s role is disheartening, and cannot and should not be accepted.
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