'What Netflix has shown is truth': IC 814 survivors on how the show didn't 'fabricate names of hijackers'

As the controversy around the Netflix series 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack' escalates, new details have emerged from those who experienced the 1999 hijacking. In an exclusive conversation with India Today TV, two survivors who were onboard the Delhi-Kathmandu flight shared what they had witnessed 25 years ago. 

 Rakesh and Pooja Kataria, a young couple, were returning home from their honeymoon in Nepal when their flight was hijacked, leading to a seven-day ordeal that rocked the nation.

Rakesh, refusing to watch the newly released Netflix series titled "IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack," stated, “I did not want to relive the ordeal again.”

However, he acknowledged the series’ portrayal of events, asserting, “What Netflix has shown is the truth.” He elaborated on the hijackers, noting that while they were identified by Hindu codenames like "Bhola" and "Shankar," they were indeed Muslim, emphasising that the show did not fabricate these names.

Pooja echoed her husband's sentiments, clarifying that these aliases were the ones used during the hijacking. “What you see in the Netflix show is what we actually went through,” she reiterated, expressing that watching the series felt like reopening old wounds after 25 years. 

CODE NAMES OF HIJACKERS

During the interview, she recounted a tense moment when the hijackers, identified by their codenames “Burger,” “Doctor,” “Bhola,” “Shankar,” and “Chief,” announced the hijacking, commanding passengers to lower their heads.

Pooja recalled the confusion of that day, stating, “We didn’t really understand what was happening... We thought they would ask for some ransom and get it over with.” Unfortunately, the ordeal extended far longer than anyone anticipated.

Pooja detailed a particularly chilling speech delivered by one of the hijackers, who urged passengers to convert to Islam. “He used to say Islam is a better religion, much better than Hinduism,” she remembered.

As negotiations with the Indian government continued, the hijackers became increasingly desperate. “On December 30, they told us that ‘we will have to start killing you now; your government is not doing anything for your release,’” she recalled.

In front of the camera, Pooja shared personal incidents from the flight, including an autographed shawl from the hijacker known as “Burger,” which read, “To my dearest sister and her handsome husband.” 

THE CONTROVERSY

The Netflix series has sparked controversy regarding its portrayal of the hijackers, particularly for using Hindu names rather than the real identities of the terrorists. An earlier report from the External Affairs Ministry identified the hijackers as Ibrahim Athar, Shahid Akhtar Sayeed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Mistry, and Shakir. 

In light of the backlash, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting summoned Netflix India content chief Monika Shergill to address these controversial aspects of the series, signaling ongoing tensions surrounding the portrayal of sensitive historical events in media.