IC-814 Hijacking: India’s Worst Hostage Crisis Explained

December 5, 2025

On a cold winter evening in December 1999, a short international flight changed the course of India’s counter-terrorism history forever.

What began as a routine hop from Kathmandu to Delhi turned into one of the most dramatic hostage crises the world had seen. Nearly 26 years later, the hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814 still haunts India’s security establishment — and once again, it’s back in public conversation thanks to new shows and films revisiting the event.

In recent years, the Kandahar hijacking has been recreated in multiple screen portrayals.

In 2024, two web series — IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack and Special Ops 1.5 — brought the story to a new audience. And now, the upcoming Hindi film Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh and directed by Aditya Dhar, is set to dig even deeper, linking the hijacking to the 2001 Parliament attack.

But to understand why this incident still sparks debate decades later, we need to go back to December 24, 1999.
Indian Airlines flight IC-814, an Airbus A-300 commanded by Captain Devi Sharan, took off from Kathmandu with 154 people on board.

Less than an hour later, five armed terrorists from the Pakistan-based group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen hijacked the aircraft while it was still in Indian airspace. What should’ve been a two-hour journey instantly turned into an eight-day nightmare.

The hijackers had one main demand: the release of three jailed militants — Maulana Masood Azhar, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. They also demanded money and the return of another militant’s body.

What followed was a chaotic cross-border chase through multiple countries

Short on fuel, IC-814 first landed in Amritsar. Indian authorities attempted to delay refuelling to buy time for a potential rescue, but the plan failed. The hijackers grew violent, stabbing passenger Satnam Singh and fatally injuring 25-year-old Rupin Katyal.

From there, the plane was forced to take off again, landing briefly in Lahore for fuel. Pakistan allowed refuelling despite India’s urgent request to block the aircraft. Since Kabul didn’t have night-landing facilities, the flight diverted to Dubai, where 27 passengers were released.

Finally, on Christmas morning, the plane touched down in Kandahar — then under Taliban rule. Taliban fighters surrounded the aircraft, making any rescue attempt impossible. While they acted as “mediators,” they refused to allow Indian special forces anywhere near the plane.

A team of Indian negotiators, including diplomat Vivek Katju and intelligence officers Ajit Doval and C.D. Sahay, arrived in Kandahar. Inside the aircraft, passengers were subjected to freezing temperatures, intimidation, and threats.

Food and water were scarce, and every negotiation delay was met with another ultimatum.
After five tense days, India made a decision that still sparks debate: the government agreed to release the three terrorists. They were flown to Kandahar by Indian officials. On December 31, the hostages were freed and brought back to India.

But the story didn’t end there,

The released militants were not detained by the Taliban. Instead, they were allowed to walk free — and soon played key roles in major terror attacks, including the 2001 Parliament attack and the murder of journalist Daniel Pearl.

The IC-814 hijacking exposed major weaknesses in India’s aviation security, crisis response, and diplomatic coordination. It forced a complete overhaul of airport security protocols and shaped India’s future counter-terrorism strategy.

Even today, the incident stands as a powerful reminder of how one hijacking reshaped national security thinking — and why the decisions made in those eight days continue to influence India’s policies decades later.