A real-life event being recreated for screen is an idea as old as time, yet nothing grabs more eyeballs or generates public interest than an incident that happened in reality. And when that event is recent enough not to send you scrambling for history books, and still has a direct bearing on the country's safety and security, it becomes even more compelling.
It's been almost 26 years since the IC-814 Kandahar hijack and the incident continues to be one of the most horrifying events in India's modern history. On the evening of December 24, 1999, five terrorists of the Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (formely Harkat-ul-Ansar) held the Airbus A-300 of the Indian Airlines, carrying 154 passengers and crew. Time was supposed to fly, with the flight duration between Nepal and Delhi just two hours, but the ordeal lasted for eight days.
Just last year, not one but two separate web series, titled IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack and Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story, based on or inspired by the Kandahar hijack, were released.
Come Friday, Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar will be the latest project to bring the hijacking to life on the big screen. According to the Central Board of Film Certification, the Aditya Dhar directorial is set against the twin backdrops of the 1999 hijacking and the 2001 Indian Parliament attack.
What Happened On December 24, 1999
At 4.53 pm, the Indian Airlines flight IC-814 was hijacked on December 24, 1999. The Delhi bound plane, carrying 154 passengers and crew, was hijacked by five terrorists 40 minutes after it took off from Kathmandu, Nepal. They ordered the crew to divert the flight, manned by Captain Devi Sharan, out of Indian airspace, eventually taking it to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
But what did the hijackers want?
They wanted the immediate release of several jailed terrorists, especially Maulana Masood Azhar, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, along with money and the body of the fellow terrorist Sajjad Afghani.
On December 24, 1999, the plane, which was low on fuel, landed in Amritsar. The Indian intelligence attempted to set up a possible commando operation to rescue the hostages under the guise of delayed refueling, but enraged by the hold-up, the hijackers stabbed passengers Satnam Singh and Rupin Katyal, who later died of his injuries.
The terrorists were eventually forced to take off from Amritsar. The same day, the plane landed in Lahore for brief refuelling under Pakistani security. It was allowed to take off despite India's request to hold it. As Kabul did not have adequate night landing facilities, the hijackers diverted the flight to Dubai. In Dubai, the terrorists let go of 27 passengers and also handed over the body of Rupin Katyal.
Landing In Kandahar
At 8.33 am on December 25, IC-814 landed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and in no time, Taliban fighters surrounded the plane, effectively preventing any direct military intervention by other countries. Taliban acted as the mediator but no Indian special forces were allowed to enter the aircraft.
After two days of debate in Delhi, the Indian government sent a team led by Vivek Katju, with intelligence officers Ajit Doval, the current National Security Advisor, and CD Sahay, along with a relief crew, to Kandahar to negotiate with the terrorists.
The conditions inside the flight were inhuman to say the least. The hostages were held at gunpoint for days in winter temperatures. They were harassed and abused. Whenever the talks seemd to be headed towards a stalemate, the passengers became ready targets for death threats, something the terrorists often tried to use as a leverage with the Indian government. Basic food and water, supplied through Taliban and Red Cross, were perhaps the only saving grace.
The Deal
The talks went on from December 27 to December 31. Ultimately, India agreed to free Masood Azhar Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who were all flown from India to Kandahar by Indian officials.
On the last day of the 20th century, the handover took place on the tarmac of the Kandahar International Airport where the terrorists released the 155 remaining passengers and crew. The hostages were flown back to India on a special flight.
India had hoped that the hijackers and the released terrorists would be detained in Afghanistan but they were allowed to leave and even escorted towards the Pakistan border, making the Taliban look complicit in the hostage crisis with Pakistan as opposed to neutral mediators. As described by the Indian officials, Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI was involved in the hijacking.
The freed terrorists, including Masood Azhar, were subsequently linked to major terrorist attacks such as the 2001 Parliament attack and Daniel Pearl's kidnapping and murder, among others.
Out of 10 accused, including the five hijackers, only two on-ground accomplices were arrested and sentence to life imprisonment by India's Central Bureau of Investigation.
With Dhurandhar set to be released on Friday, the IC-814 Kandahar hijacking will this time play out on the big screen.
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