This is how the hijacking of IC 814 in 1999 really happened

(In light of the controversy surrounding the Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, here's a look at the 1999 hijack and its aftermath. Click here to read Nishtha Gautam's counter view.)

The late evening wind chill on December 31, 1999 caused considerable inconvenience to all those gathered at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Braving the cold were the relatives of the recently released passengers, media representatives, curious locals from the National Capital Region, numerous security personnel and logistic staff from various organizations.

The arrival of an Indian Airlines plane sparked cheers. Suddenly, the crowd seemed to forget the tragic death of Rupin Katyal and the suppressed anger over the release of three notorious terrorists – Masood Azhar, Mushtaq Zargar and Omar Shaikh – in exchange for the hostages on board the hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC814 from Kathmandu to New Delhi. The joy of seeing the passengers return home safely overshadowed all other worries.

As passengers began to disembark, media representatives focused on two main aspects: the trauma and suffering of the hostages and the identity of the hijackers.

Chef, Doctor, Burger, Bhola and Shankar

The next morning, the pseudonyms or call signs of the five hijackers – Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola and Shankar – were described in detail in the newspapers. Since the real identities of the hijackers were still unknown, the public dissemination of these pseudonyms increased the fear and tension in the then Vajpayee government. Rumors, especially from across the border, that some of the hijackers were Kashmiri Hindus, further aggravated the situation.

Soon after, the Mumbai Police, in close collaboration with the intelligence agencies, arrested four members of the Harkat-ul-Ansar/Mujahideen – Mohammed Rehan, Mohammed Iqbal, Yasuf Nepali and Abdul Latif – who had assisted the hijackers. Rehan was from Karachi, Iqbal from Multan, Yusuf was reportedly a Nepali national and Latif was an Indian from Mumbai who was recruited by the Pakistani intelligence agency (ISI) while in the Gulf region and later trained in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

During interrogation, these agents revealed the real identities of all the kidnappers. This prompted the then Home Minister LK Advani to issue a detailed public statement about those involved in the kidnapping and provide the evidence linking them to Pakistan and its notorious ISI to disseminate this information worldwide. The statement identified Ibrahim Athar of Bahawalpur, Pakistan as 'Chief'; Shahid Akhtar Sayed Gulshan Iqbal, Sunny Ahmed Qazi and Mistri Zahoor Ibrahim, all from Karachi, as 'Doctor', 'Burger' and 'Bhola' respectively; and Shakir of Sukkur as 'Shankar'. The names and places of origin of the kidnappers were given to dispel all the doubts that had been lingering against them since the last few days.

Over 24 years later, these memories and controversies were revived by the publication of a series on the hijacking of IC 814 in Kandahar. In particular, the names of the hijackers – Bhola and Shankar – sparked a passionate public debate.

The debate focused mainly on two topics:

1. Goal of the series:

Do the producer and director have the evil intention of constructing a story that exonerates Pakistan and the ISI, while placing all the blame on Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda and Afghanistan?

This question arose because the direct involvement of Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda was not discussed in detail by those in charge at the time. It is true that Laden lived in Afghanistan and was one of the main actors in the situation there. There were scenes of celebration immediately after the landing and the release of the three terrorists by the Indian authorities. But whether Laden or his group had planned the kidnapping was not investigated.

All three released terrorists soon returned to Pakistan to a hero's welcome, set up terrorist organizations and used Pakistani soil to carry out terrorist activities or export terrorism from there – further proof of the country's direct complicity in the crime. However, in the series, characters play major roles in intelligence agencies and it is shown that the ISI cannot have any connection with the hijackers.

2. Misleading names

Did the show mislead the viewers by using names like Bhola and Shankar and thereby create confusion?

A statement issued on behalf of Monika Shergill, Vice President, Content, Netflix India, following a meeting of representatives of the OTT platform with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting clarifies the situation on this matter.

“For viewers unfamiliar with the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814, the disclaimer at the beginning has been updated to include the real and code names of the hijackers. The code names in the series reflect the names used during the actual event. India has a rich culture of storytelling – and we are committed to showcasing these stories and their authentic portrayal,” the statement said. The statement gives the impression that the platform has realised that it may have been a mistake on the part of the makers not to reveal the real identities of the five hijackers at any point in the series.

In the series, Jaswant Singh, the then External Affairs Minister, is portrayed as the one who answered all the calls. However, the real story is somewhat different.

With Netflix agreeing to changes, the intensity of the controversy is subsiding, at least for now. This is the second time that a major OTT platform agreed to changes after the ministry discussed the issue with them. In January 2021, Amazon Prime made some changes to the series following the ministry's intervention. TandavBut there is a difference – Tandav was fiction, while IC814: The Hijacking of Kandahar is based on a true story.

(Sanjay Singh is contributing editor, NDTV)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author