PIL in Delhi HC Seeks Ban on Netflix’s IC 814 Series for Alleged Fact Distortion on Kandahar Hijack

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed during the Delhi High Court by Surjit Singh Yadav, Chief of Hindu Sena, in search of a ban on the Netflix’s series namely IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack. The PIL alleged that the series distorts the real identities of the terrorists involved during the hijacking. The petitioner through Advocate Shashi Ranjan has approached the court against the tv miniseries “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack,” directed by Anubhav Sinha, citing inaccuracies in its portrayal of the 1999 hijacking of Indian Flight 814. The petition claimed that the miniseries erroneously assigns Hindu names such as “Bhola” and “Shankar”–names related to Lord Shiva–to the important hijackers Ibrahim Akhtar, Shahid Akhtar Sayeed, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Mistry, and Shakir.

This, per the petitioner, distorts the identities of the hijackers, misrepresents historical events, perpetuates harmful stereotypes, and offends the sentiments of the Hindu community. The petitioner seeks the court’s intervention to forestall further public misunderstanding and potential harm.

The plea further mentioned that India’s Constitution, which upholds secularism and spiritual unity in a multi-spiritual society, mandates mutual respect for all religions as a fundamental right. It asserted that film producers, directors, and actors have a constitutional duty to steer clear of disturbing spiritual feelings and sentiments. In consequence, the Cinematograph Act, 1952 became enacted by Parliament to regulate feature films and confirm they adhere to those principles. The plea seeks the court’s intervention to address these concerns during the context of the miniseries “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack.”

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has reportedly summoned Netflix’s content head, Monika Shergill, in accordance with accusations on social media that the makers of “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack” deliberately altered the names of the hijackers to “Bhola” and “Shankar.”

(With inputs from ANI)