A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Delhi High Court on Monday, seeking a ban on the OTT series ‘IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack’ due to claims of factual inaccuracies regarding the real identities of the hijackers
The petition alleges that the mini-series wrongly depicts the hijackers with Hindu names, such as ‘Bhola’ and ‘Shankar,’ which are associated with Lord Shiva, causing offense to the Hindu community.
The plea, filed by Surjit Singh Yadav, a farmer and president of the Hindu Sena, requests that the Centre and the Maharashtra government revoke the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) certificate and prohibit public viewing of the series. According to the petition, “The distortion of key facts about the real identities of the hijackers not only misrepresents historical events but also spreads harmful stereotypes and misinformation, necessitating the court’s intervention to prevent further public confusion and potential harm.”
In response to the controversy, the central government has summoned the content head of OTT platform Netflix, which hosts the series. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has called for a meeting on Tuesday to seek clarification regarding the allegedly contentious aspects of the series, which portrays the 1999 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight by the Pakistan-based terror group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.
The series, directed by Anubhav Sinha, premiered on Netflix on August 29.
(With inputs from agency)
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