‘‘Burger’ Had Friendly Approach, Played Antakshari…’: IC 814 Hijack Survivor Who Got Shawl From Terrorist Shares Experience

Amid the ongoing controversy over Netflix series ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ in which the names of the terrorists who hijacked the Indian Airlines flight IC-814 (Kathmandu-Delhi) in 1999 have been modified, a woman from Chandigarh, a survivor of the hijack to whom one of the terrorists gifted a shawl, shared her harrowing experience.

Pooja Kataria, who was travelling with her husband on that flight, said that the five terrorists who were on board the aircraft declared that flight was hijacked half an hour after the flight took off from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport on December 24, 1999.

‘Burger’ helped passengers, made them play ‘Antakshari’

While speaking to news agency ANI, Kataria said that one of the terrorists, “Burger”, had a friendly approach towards the passengers and he helped people by making them playing ‘Antakshari’ during the journey.

“We were nervous. We were asked to keep our heads down. We didn’t even know we were in Kandahar. People were having panic attacks, so one of the terrorists named ‘Burger’, who had a friendly approach, helped people, and made them play ‘Antakshari’. Terrorist ‘Doctor’ gave a lot of speeches on converting to Islam,” she said to ANI.

‘Burger’ gifted shawl to Kataria

In an interview to Indian Express, the woman survivor said that she had requested the terrorist to allow her to go home saying that next day was her birthday. The terrorists with code name ‘Burger’ pulled out the shawl he was wearing and gifted her.

“December 27 was my birthday. On December 26, when one of the terrorists saw that people were getting panicky, he tried to calm them. I then requested him, ‘It’s my birthday tomorrow. Please allow us to go home. We are innocent.’ He then pulled out the shawl he was wearing and said, ‘have it, your birthday gift’,” she said to the national daily.

“He came to me and said he would write on the shawl he gifted though I was scared. He wrote, ‘To my dearest sister and her handsome husband… Burger 30/12/99′. People are mocking me for this but I have still kept that shawl as a symbol of our second birth,” she added.

Kataria on Netflix controversy

While reacting to the controversy over the Netflix series, Kataria said, “The series was made for entertainment purposes, I don’t know why people are getting offended…Maybe the (Indian) govt could have tried a commando attack on the aircraft in Amritsar, then then it could not have flown outside India,” she said.

IC814’s head cabin crew on Netflix controversy

Anil Sharma, who was the IC814’s Cabin Crew head expressed his discomfort on the filming and making of the series and said that why there has to be an outcry about Hindu sentiments being hurt before collective action is taken.

“… They had these names right from the beginning and it should be borne in mind that the names were not given by filmmakers. Why they kept two names by which we know our Hindu gods, cannot be speculated because the issue is 24 years old, maybe they had some mischief in their minds because the other three had very neutral names… Initially, Netflix was becoming very aggressive about it but now they have backtracked and put a disclaimer. Why couldn’t they do it earlier? Why is it that each time there has to be an outcry about Hindu sentiments being hurt before collective action is taken? They could have done this in the beginning itself,” he said to ANI.

He further pointed out that the names of the pilots and cabin crew members were changed and some of them were not even shown in the series.

“They have even changed the names of the pilots, flight engineers, and even my name. Two hostesses have been changed and five cabin crew have not even been shown. I don’t think I feel very comfortable with this arrangement…” he added.

WHAT’S THE CONTROVERSY?

IC-814 The Kandahar Hijack, which features Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza, Arvind Swamy and Dia Mirza has been well-received by critics. However, a section of social media users has demanded for the boycott of the series for allegedly hiding the real identities of the terrorists involved in the 1999 incident.

In the series, the terrorists have been named Bhola, Shankar, Doctor, Burger and Chief. The series seemingly hinted that the terrorists had codenames. However, the hijackers were Muslims from Pakistan. This has irked many, who have called it “whitewashing”.

Following the backlash, Netflix agreed to update the disclaimer of the series and mention the real names of the hijackers. The decision came after officials of the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry met Netflix representatives over the alleged misrepresentation of facts in the new series.

1999 Kandahar hijack

On December 24, 1999, five masked men hijacked the aircraft — IC 814 — 40 minutes after it took off from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, bound for New Delhi. The hijackers forced the captain of the flight to fly the plane into Pakistani airspace, where he did not receive clearance to land. The plane then landed in Amritsar, with barely 10 minutes’ worth of fuel left.

After refuelling the plane, the hijackers forced the pilot to fly the plane to Lahore, where the pilot made a desperate landing despite not getting permission from Pakistan’s ATC, which turned off all lights and navigational aids at the airport. But at the last moment, they were given permission and it was here that they refuelled and made their way to Dubai. After being denied permission, the flight landed at the Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE. The hijackers released 27 of the 176 passengers on board, including the body of 25-year-old Rupin Katyal, who had been fatally stabbed by the captors.

After this, the plane finally landed in the hijackers’ original destination, Taliban-controlled Afghanistan’s Kandahar airport. It was here that the hijackers negotiated with the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, which eventually ended on December 30 with the release of all the hostages for three terrorists — Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar.