Anubhav Sinha's Netflix series 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack' has recently sparked a lot of controversies. The public accused that the show has distorted real events and downplayed the severity of the incident on screen.
The issue escalated, prompting a meeting between the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, and the content head of Netflix India. Following this meeting, the disclaimer on the show was changed. Despite these changes, 'IC 814' continues to stream on Netflix, piquing people's interest in learning more about the real incident on which the show is based.
In December 1999, during the Kandahar hijacking, the negotiation team representing India was led by Ajit Doval, who is now the National Security Advisor. Former RAW Chief A. S. Dulat revealed that Doval was unhappy with the way the negotiations were conducted. Manoj Pahwa's character in the 'IC 814' series is based on him. Dulat mentioned that Doval regretted the way things turned out but the entire crisis management group had accepted the fact that they would have to meet some of the hijackers' demands.
Regret Over Releasing Masood Azhar
In an interview with journalist Barkha Dutt, Dulat recalled his meeting with the group that returned from the Kandahar negotiations, 'Doval had regrets because he was a disciple of Advani (BJP leader LK Advani). They shared the same mindset. What Advani felt, Ajit must have felt too...'
When asked whether Advani, who was the Home Minister at the time, was against releasing the three dreaded terrorists including Masood Azhar, Dulat responded, 'Yes, but what do you do when you are in such a tight spot? You have a duty to fulfill, and you do it. Ajit, being the true professional he is, must have felt mentally conflicted - questioning what was happening and why it was happening.'
Recalling updates from Doval in Kandahar, Dulat mentioned that the most significant call came six days after the hijacking, on December 30. 'The negotiation team was in a dire situation in Kandahar,' Dulat said, 'I sympathized with them. These were our four best men - Ajit, Nehchal Sandhu from IB, and CD Sahay and Anand Arni from RAW... I could understand that it wasn't going to be easy. It was challenging because we had no relations with the Taliban and our ties with Pakistan were probably at their worst.'
Ajit Doval's Alarming Call
Dulat shared details of Doval's phone call on December 30, '(His belief was) that the negotiators themselves were not safe, and things were slipping out of their control. Reducing the demands was crucial. We knew from day one that their main demand was the release of Masood Azhar.'
Dulat explained that the hijackers' list of terrorists was reduced from 105 to 3, and when this happened, an important cabinet meeting discussing security was underway. Doval might have known about this meeting in Kandahar. He called and said, 'Please resolve this quickly because we don't know what might happen here. The Taliban are saying either solve this issue or leave.'
Dulat mentioned that the tension was evident from these calls, but the issue was not raised during the cabinet meeting. By then, the government had mentally decided to conclude the matter. As soon as three terrorists were released from Indian jails, the hostages were freed. However, one man, Rupin Katyal, had already been killed by the hijackers. Despite the controversies surrounding 'IC 814', it has received quite positive reviews.
