Recently, the release of IC814: The Kandahar Hijack, a Hindi-language series on Netflix, sparked significant backlash from certain sections of social media.
The series, as the name suggests, focuses on the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC814 in 1999, a traumatic event in India’s modern history.
However, the series has come under fire, particularly from right-wing circles and ardent followers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The reason? The creators have portrayed the hijackers using Hindu names like Bhola and Shankar, inciting calls for the show to be banned.
This reaction exposes not just the deep-seated biases but also a troubling decline in India’s collective intellect, critical thinking, and scientific temper in the last decade.
The Controversy
The core of the controversy is the depiction of hijackers using Hindu names Bhola and Shankar.
Right-wing critics have argued that this is an intentional move by the show’s creators to malign the Hindu community, claiming that it is yet another instance of “Bollywood’s liberal bias.”
The director of the series, Anubhav Sinha, has been targeted for being a “liberal communist” who allegedly wants to defame Hindus, despite the fact that Sinha himself is Hindu.
This irony, however, seems to be lost on his detractors.
What the critics conveniently ignore is that the use of these names by the hijackers is not a fictional invention of the series but is well-documented in numerous authoritative sources, including accounts from passengers, investigative journalism, and government records.
The hijackers of IC814 did indeed use codenames or aliases, some of which were Hindu names, to conceal their identities inside the plane.
These names are not an embellishment or artistic liberty but are based on factual accounts.
Even the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) website carries these details clearly, further substantiating the series’ depiction.
Historical Accuracy vs. Selective Outrage
To demand a ban on a series that has painstakingly adhered to historical accuracy is not just an overreach but a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and stir communal tension.
The series is based on well-documented events that are available in the public domain.
When the facts, supported by numerous real-life accounts and academic sources, corroborate the portrayal in the series, then what exactly is the cause of the outrage?
The answer lies not in the realm of facts but in the weaponization of misinformation.
The backlash is a classic case of selective outrage—outrage that is not based on the quest for truth but is manufactured to serve a specific narrative.
This kind of reaction aims to blindfold the masses, provoke communal sentiments, and reinforce a narrow, divisive ideology.
In the process, it attempts to vilify the entertainment industry, particularly Bollywood, as being anti-Hindu or liberal, all the while ignoring the substantial research and accuracy that went into creating the series.
The Decline of Rational Discourse Under the BJP Regime
This episode is not an isolated one. Over the last decade, India has witnessed an alarming decline in its collective intellect and critical thinking under the BJP regime.
A culture to censor and ban films based on hyper-nationalistic trends on social media is rising by the day.
There is a growing sense of anti-intellectualism that shuns evidence-based reasoning and scientific temper, replacing them with hyper-nationalism and communal rhetoric.
Dissent and debate, which are the cornerstones of any healthy democracy, are often shut down with labels of “anti-national” or “anti-Hindu.”
The backlash against the IC814 series is emblematic of this larger trend. It is not just about a series on Netflix; it is about the erosion of rational discourse in the country.
The fact that well-documented historical facts are being challenged not on the basis of counter-evidence but on ideological grounds is a dangerous precedent.
It speaks volumes about the intellectual stagnation and the decline of a once-vibrant culture of debate and discussion in India.
The Need for a Scientific Temper
This controversy also underscores the pressing need to nurture scientific temper and critical thinking in society.
In a country where the Constitution itself mandates the development of scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform, it is disheartening to see the level of misinformation and irrationality that dominates public discourse today.
The makers of the series did their due diligence, rooted in thorough research and factual accuracy.
Yet, their efforts are dismissed without consideration, reflecting a growing aversion to facts and reason.
The deliberate spread of misinformation to instigate one community against another not only distorts history but also damages the social fabric of the nation.
This isn’t just an attack on a Netflix series; it is an attack on the very principles of rationality, evidence-based thinking, and democratic dialogue.
Conclusion
The backlash against IC814: The Kandahar Hijack is a symptom of a much larger malaise—an intellectual and moral decay that has taken root in sections of Indian society.
The insistence on banning a show that presents a well-researched, factual narrative is an affront to the principles of free speech, historical accuracy, and rational debate.
As a society, we must reject this selective outrage and uphold the values of intellectual honesty and critical thinking.
We must not allow ideologically driven narratives to overshadow facts and evidence.
If India is to move forward as a nation, it is imperative to foster an environment where truth is not a casualty in the battle of ideologies, and where scientific temper, as envisioned by the framers of our Constitution, is a way of life.
Founder of the Word Street Journal, Deepak is both a creative soul and a Wordside Romeo.
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