Netflix in a Tailspin: Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Summons Content Head Over 'IC814' Series

On September 3, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting summoned the Content Head of Netflix India over the controversial 'IC 814' web series.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack

The web series, which is based on the iconic Kandahar hijacking incident of 1999, caused a firestorm of controversy a day after social media users on X (previously known as Twitter) claimed that the series was inaccurate and insensitive.

The story is based on the hijacking of Indian Airlines, in which five terrorists named Ibrahim Athar, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhter, and Sayed Shakir hijacked the IC-814 aircraft en route from Kathmandu in Nepal to the national capital Delhi on December 24, 1999. During the event, at least 154 passengers and crew members were held hostage for eight days.

The Kandahar hijacking incident was a dark chapter in India's history, and the Ministry is keen to ensure that the truth is not distorted for the sake of entertainment. The summoning of the Netflix Content Head is seen as a stern warning to the streaming giant to exercise responsibility and sensitivity in its content.

The ministry has taken umbrage with the series' depiction, which resulted in the release of three terrorists in exchange for onboard passengers and crew. The show's creators have been accused of taking creative liberties with the facts, causing distress to the families of the victims and survivors.

Commenting on the web series, BJP leader Amit Malviya slammed the makers of the web series for using these names and said, "The hijackers of IC-814 were dreaded terrorists who acquired aliases to hide their Muslim identities. Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha legitimized their criminal intent by furthering their non-Muslim names. Result? Decades later, people will think Hindus hijacked IC-814," he said in a post on X.