The hijacking of Indian Airlines plane number IC 814 in December 1999 sent shockwaves across the country, as the terrorists seized the control of the passenger flight demanding the Indian government to release three imprisoned terrorists -- Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, Masood Azhar, and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar.
The plane, headed from Kathmandu to Delhi, was diverted to multiple locations -- Lahore and Amritsar -- before landing in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The Indian government agreed to release the three imprisoned terrorists in exchange for the safe release of the passengers onboard as well as the crew members of IC 814.
Meanwhile, the harrowing incident is again in limelight as famous Bollywood director Anubhav Sinha has directed a web series titled, 'IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack', starring Vijay Verma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Manoj Pahwa, Arvind Swami, Anupam Tripathi, Dia Mirza, Patralekhaa, Amrita Puri, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, and Kumud Mishra in key roles.
The web series, streaming on Netflix, was surrounded by controversies after two hijackers were referred to by their Hindu codenames in the series.
In the series, the hijackers were depicted with the codenames Chief, Doctor, Burger, Bhola, and Shankar. Two Hindu names -- Bhola and Shankar -- drew irk on social media with critics targeting Sinha's web series.
Meanwhile, another scene, which depicts that the officers of Delhi Crisis management team get informed that there is a 'VIP' onboard the plane, has grabbed eyeballs. The 'VIP' was none other than Shashi Bhushan Singh Tomar, an agent of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), held hostage by the terrorists.
Shashi Bhushan's name was not revealed to the public
The list of the passengers which was released in the media did not include the name of the RAW agent. The officers of the crisis management team hid his name from the public, as the terrorists could harm him.
AS Dulat, the then-RAW Chief, has confirmed this in his book, 'Kashmir: The Vajpayee years'. Some commandos were even prepared to enter the plane to save the passengers. However, as some experts reckon, they were stopped from doing so as it could endanger Tomar's life.
As per several media reports,NK Singh, who was the Chief Secretary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then-Prime Minister, had directed the commandos not to enter the plane. Singh's sister was married to Shashi Bhushan Singh Tomar, hence, many experts believe that this could be a reason.
Who was Shashi Bhushan?
Shashi Bhushan Singh Tomar, a 1986 batch IPS officer from West Bengal cadre, was the first secretary of the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu in 1999. As a senior RAW agent, he collected extensive intelligence information.
