IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack: PIL seeks ban on public viewing of web series - 'Distortion of crucial facts about...'

Anubhav Sinha’s thriller drama series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack has been making headlines ever since social media users called out the series over the ‘distortion of facts’. Netflix content head Monika Shergill was then summoned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to explain the contentious aspects of the web series. Now, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Delhi High Court demanding a ban on IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack over allegations of distortion of facts about the real identities of the hijackers.

PIL seeks ban on IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack

The petition is filed by Surjit Singh Yadav, a farmer and president of Hindu Sena, in Delhi High Court, demanding the Centre and Maharashtra government to cancel the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certificate to IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack and ban the public viewing of the series.

The PIL claimed that the series showcases the hijackers as having Hindu names - ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar’, which are other names of Lord Shiva, hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community.

The petition said, “The distortion of crucial facts about the real identities of the hijackers not only misrepresents historical events but also perpetuates harmful stereotypes and misinformation, warranting interference of this court to prevent further public misunderstanding and potential harm.”

After social media users sought a ban on the content platform over the distortion of facts in the series, BJP’s Amit Malviya questioned the makers' intentions of not mentioning the names of the hijackers anywhere in the series. The politician tweeted, "Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha, legitimised their criminal intent, by furthering their non-Muslim names. Decades later, people will think Hindus hijacked IC-81. Left’s agenda to whitewash the crimes of Pakistani terrorists, all Muslims, served.”

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack cast

Helmed by Anubhav Sinha, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack stars Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Manoj Pahwa, Arvind Swami, Anupam Tripathi, Dia Mirza, Patralekhaa, Amrita Puri, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, and Kumud Mishra. The series was released on Netflix on August 29. The web series depicts the real-life events that happened during the hijacking of flight IC 814 in 1999.