The controversy over Netflix’s IC-814 web series has increased. This series based on the Kandahar plane hijacking incident is getting reactions from all over the country. Meanwhile, Aaj Tak has spoken to IC-814 hijack survivor Pooja Kataria and discussed the entire incident. Pooja said that I was returning to Nepal after my honeymoon with my husband Rakesh Kataria. When the terrorists hijacked the plane, it was also my 24th birthday on December 27, so I can never forget this incident.
This entire incident is of 24 December 1999. Seven days after the plane hijacking, that is on 31 December 1999, the plane hijackers were freed in exchange for the release of three terrorists including terrorist Masood Azhar. Pooja tells that there were 26 couples in the plane who were returning from Nepal after celebrating their honeymoon. Rupin Katyal and his wife Rachna Katyal were also in the plane. Let us tell you that the terrorists killed Rupin in the plane.
Rachana Katyal was sitting next to me
Pooja tells that Rachana was sitting with us in the plane. We did not know about the incident. Watching this series reminded me of the old days. This was our new birth. We did not know about some things. Like the pilot had blasted the fuel tank. We did not know what was happening inside. However, the inside things have been shown less. More politics has been shown. People should also know how the government handled the whole matter.
The burger was friendly…
Pooja tells that among the terrorists, ‘Burger’ was the friendly one. He kept the people calm, otherwise there could have been a lot of panic. I started talking to Burger because he used to talk to everyone, so he talked to everyone very friendly. It was my birthday during that time, he also celebrated my birthday in the plane and gave me a shawl as a gift. It was cold at that time. The temperature was minus 10 degrees. I was wearing the same shawl. At that time it seemed as if I would be alive tomorrow or not. So let’s live what is today.
The terrorists had kept their names in code
Pooja said, everything else in the webseries is true. The terrorists had changed their names at that time. These were code words. They used to call each other Chief, Burger, Doctor, Bhola, Shankar. I can recall what has been shown and everything seems true. When I watched the webseries, it was in that era. That is why it had to be stopped in between.
Pooja’s husband did not watch the web series
Pooja says that my husband has not seen the web series yet. He does not want to remember the scary incident. He said that I cannot watch it. It can cause trauma again. I have seen this series with my daughter. The casting is good. The facts are also correct. Pooja has kept her plane tickets safe even today. She has many memories related to the plane, which she has preserved.
He said, the trauma shown on the first day in the webseries was absolutely correct. We were beaten up and picked up and taken to another place. When this incident happened, we also did not know anything about the hijack. We thought that there would be a demand for some money and we would be released. Even those terrorists did not know that the hijack would go on for seven days. Because on the first day when we were being given water, the terrorists had told the air hostess to give us a little water so that it would last for two days. The terrorists thought that the demands would be met in a day or two. But it took eight days to be released. Today, after watching the series, I can imagine what phase we went through.
Rakesh said- I don’t feel like watching the series
Rakesh Kataria said that I don’t feel like watching this series. I have heard a lot about it. There is controversy regarding the name. However, to a large extent, the series has shown the truth. The names were in code. The original names were different.
Let us tell you that the real name of the Chief was Ibrahim Atar, Burger’s name was Salim Ahmed Qazi, Doctor’s name was Shahid Syed Akhtar, Bhola’s name was Zahoor Ibrahim Mistry, Shankar’s name was Shakir.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)