IC 814 Passenger Recalls Horror, Says He Mistook Hijacking For A Movie Shoot: 'I Asked For Another Scotch'

The hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC 814 is being discussed again due to Netflix’s new series, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. The show covers both the events on the plane and the negotiations with terrorists that led to the hostages’ release. In return, India released three terrorists from prison, which was seen as a blow to national pride.

UB Bhat, a passenger on the flight, discussed his experience at an event marking the 20th anniversary of the hijacking. He was joined by former R&AW chief AS Dulat and negotiator Anand Arni. Bhat recalled the surprising lack of security in Kathmandu and said he didn’t initially believe the flight had been hijacked. The plane was first taken to Amritsar, then Dubai, and finally to Kandahar.

Bhat said that the lack of security at Kathmandu airport was a giveaway. He recalled, “The flight was to take off from Kathmandu at 2:30 pm, as per schedule. It took off at 4:30, and we were looking forward to Christmas Eve parties in Delhi. On that day, at the Kathmandu airport, there was absolutely no security. All machines were down, as if it was pre-planned. We later understood that. Anybody could walk in and walk out. It was a shock to me, because I’d been travelling to Kathmandu for 10 years. But nevertheless, we went to the aircraft, and the flight took off for Delhi.”

He recalled that within 10 minutes, the plane was back on course, and drinks and food were served. About 20 minutes later, while everyone was busy with their drinks, there was a commotion. “I was in the last row, and just opposite me, I saw a masked person with a knife in his hand, shouting, ‘Aap sab baithe raho, koi uthega toh goli maarenge’. He had a grenade in his hand. I’d been travelling for so long, I thought they were shooting for a movie. I raised my hand and asked for another scotch. He got irritated, perhaps, and he shouted at me. That’s when I realised something is happening, and I put my glass down.” he said.

IC-814 The Kandahar Hijack, which stars Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Vijay Varma, Dia Mirza, Arvind Swamy and Dia Mirza has been well-received by critics.