At Netflix-I&B meet: Depiction of ISI role in IC-814, ‘obscenity’ in other content

Following the meeting Tuesday, a statement released by Shergill read: “For the benefit of audiences unfamiliar with the 1999 hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight 814, the opening disclaimer has been updated to include the real and code names of the hijackers.”

“The code names in the series reflect those used during the actual event. India has a rich culture of storytelling and we are committed to showcasing these stories and their authentic representation,” the statement said.

It was also brought up during the meeting that while the show uses actual media footage to factually depict certain aspects of the incident, it omits other facts. As per sources, an episode of the series showing the release of terrorists and the subsequent fictionalised narration “absolves” the ISI of the role it played in the hijack.

During the meeting, “obscene” content in some other foreign shows and films streamed on Netflix was also flagged, saying this was not in consonance with Indian cultural sensitivities.

“The matter was highlighted in the meeting and there were assurances that the matter will be looked into,” a source said.

The ministry called Shergill Monday following a controversy on social media over the use of the code names Bhola and Shankar by two of the five Pakistani hijackers and the omission of their real names — Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayed, Sunny, Ahmad Qazi, Zahoor Mistry and Shakir. A Union Home Ministry statement from January 6, 2000, shows that these code names were indeed used by the hijackers.

The sources said the meeting was not an outcome of the social media row and was based on issues that came to light after the release of the series.

Directed by Anubhav Sinha, the series is inspired by the hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu to Delhi and the book titled ‘Flight Into Fear’ written by Captain Devi Sharan and Srinjoy Chowdhury.

The Indian Airlines flight was hijacked by members of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen terror group on December 24, 1999 and taken to Kandahar in Afghanistan. The hijacking ended more than a week later — after negotiations, the release of three terrorists by the then BJP government and the death of one of the 179 passengers onboard.

After the hijacking, the government had said in a statement: “The hijacking incident has once again highlighted the complicity of Pakistan and of organisations patronised and supported by it in terrorist acts against India… interrogation has established that the hijacking was masterminded by Pakistan’s ISI with the assistance of the Harkat.”