IC 814 Controversy: The controversy over Anubhav Sinha's OTT series, IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack, has intensified, drawing significant attention from both the public and the government. According to an ANI report, the government is taking the controversy "very seriously," and Netflix, the streaming platform hosting the series, has assured authorities that all future content will be carefully reviewed to ensure it aligns with national sentiments.
What Netflix said to authorities
"Netflix has provided an assurance to conduct a content review and guarantee that all future content on their platform will be sensitive to and in accordance with the nation's sentiments," the news agency quoted government sources.
Also read: IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack: When A Survivor Described The Hijackers Bhola And Shankar
Why Netflix head was summoned
Government sources had earlier told ANI why Netflix head was summoned. They had earlier said, “Nobody has the right to play with the sentiments of the people of this nation. India's culture and civilization should always be respected. You should think before portraying something in a wrong manner. The govt is taking it very seriously.”
In response to the growing outrage, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting summoned the content head of Netflix India to address the concerns surrounding the series. The series has sparked controversy over its portrayal of the hijackers, with claims that it distorts the facts.
PIL filed seeking ban on the series
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Delhi High Court on Monday, seeking a ban on the series. The petition, submitted by Surjit Singh Yadav, a farmer and president of Hindu Sena, argues that the series misleads viewers by assigning Hindu names such as 'Bhola' and 'Shankar'—names associated with Lord Shiva—to the hijackers, thereby hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community. The petition demands that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) revoke its approval for the series and that the government ban its public screening.
Did the series actually mislead viewers with the names of the hijackers?
The five men responsible for the hijack were depicted in the series with codenames such as 'Chief', 'Doctor', 'Burger', 'Bhola', and 'Shankar'. The protest is particularly over the two names, 'Bhola' and 'Shankar'.
However, the codenames used in the web series were mentioned in an MEA document issued in the year 2000. According to the document, hijackers were known as Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola and Shankar to the passengers and they addressed one another by these names.
The series, which features prominent actors like Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, and Pankaj Kapur, premiered on Netflix on August 29.