‘IC-814’ row: Sentiments cannot be hurt over creativity, say govt sources; Netflix to conduct content review

The government summoned Netflix’s content head over the ‘IC-814’ series row and has said that sentiments cannot be hurt under the name of creativity. Proper fact-checking is required, the government said, and that facts cannot be distorted.

Government sources told India Today, “We have been supporting and pushing content and content creators but facts cannot be distorted…Under creativity sentiments cannot be hurt…Research has to be proper and fact checking done before putting out content.”

Netflix has assured the government that it would conduct a content review and see to it that all future content on their platform are sensitive, in accordance with the nation's sentiments, and sensitive to children. 

As per sources, Netflix was asked why no caption were flashed to make the real names of the hijackers clear. They were asked why the portrayal of hijackers bordered around being firm and sensitive, while the negotiators appeared weak and confused. 

This comes after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting summoned Netflix’s content head on Tuesday, seeking explanation on the portrayal of the terrorists from Pakistan-based terror outfit Harkat-ul-Mujahideen in their role in the 1999 hijack of an Indian Airlines flight, in the series,  'IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack'. 

Most of the critiques pertain to the ‘humane’ projection of the perpetrators. There were also concerns about the filmmakers changing the names of the hijackers to ‘Shankar’ and ‘Bhola’. Spearheading that critic is BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya who said that they acquired aliases to hide their Muslim identities. 

"Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha, legitimised their criminal intent, by furthering their non-Muslim names. Decades later, people will think Hindus hijacked IC-814. Left's agenda to whitewash the crimes of Pakistani terrorists, all Muslims, served. This is the power of cinema, which the Communists have been using aggressively, since the 70s. Perhaps even earlier," said Amit Malviya on X.

Following the furore, hashtags such as BoycottNetflix, BoycottBollywood and IC814, started trending. 

Meanwhile, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Delhi High Court seeking a ban on the series over allegations that it distorted facts about the real identities of the hijackers. The petition, filed by Surjit Singh Yadav, a farmer and president of Hindu Sena, requested the Centre and Maharashtra government to cancel the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certificate and ban the public viewing of the series. 

The petition stated that the distortion of crucial facts about the real identities of the hijackers misrepresents historical events and perpetuates harmful stereotypes and misinformation, necessitating the court's intervention to prevent further public misunderstanding and potential harm.