Sartaj Singh
Created by Anubhav Sinha and Trishant Srivastava, ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’ recreates the real-life incident that took place in 1999 based on Devi Sharan and Sringjoy Chowdhury’s 2000 book, ‘Flight Into Fear.’ The story revolves around the hijacked aircraft and the scramble of Indian intelligence agents to find answers and solutions for the debacle. What makes the situation highly challenging for the intelligence services is that one of RAW’s own officers is on the flight from Kathmandu.
The show also follows a subplot of junior agent Ram Chandra Yadav (Anupam Tripathi) uncovering vital intelligence through on-ground operations and interrogation. He is the one who gives the first and only warning about hijackers on the plane but is not taken seriously. Later on, he also learns of a large quantity of RDX explosives stashed away on the aircraft, informing his superiors in the Crisis Management Group. With Ram providing such vital information from the start of the series, the young officer seems to be one of the most proactive characters, leading to questions about his real-world existence.
Ram Chandra Yadav is Based on RAW Agent U.V. Singh
Depicted in the show by actor Anupam Tripathi, not only is Ram Chandra Yadav based on an actual RAW officer, but the real story behind his early warnings being ignored is even more unbelievable. RAW agent U.V. Singh was serving as the second secretary of the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu in 1999. He was the first to glean intelligence about suspicious activity by the Pakistani Embassy geared towards the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. His asset reported that the car registered to Arshad Cheema, the first secretary of Pakistan’s Embassy in Kathmandu, had driven to the airport. Cheema had claimed diplomatic immunity to prevent the car from being searched. U.V. Singh believed that plotters coming from Pakistan were boarding IC-814 and that weapons had been smuggled into the airport for them by Cheema.
In his book, ‘Mission R&AW,’ former RAW officer RK Yadav claims that U.V. Singh had informed his counselor and senior RAW officer Shashi Bhushan Singh Tomar about the likelihood of the hijacking based on his asset’s information. However, it is alleged that he was rebuked and ignored. “That RAW operative was asked by Tomar to check the veracity of the report,” wrote Yadav in the book. “When RAW operative revealed that his source was a responsible officer, Tomar rebuked him and warned him not to spread rumours. This report was never sent by Tomar to RAW headquarters and he suppressed it without crosschecking.” What is even more surprising is that the report was apparently made by U.V. Singh a few days prior to the hijacking as opposed to the last-minute rush seen in the show.
U.V. Singh’s Counsellor Became one of the Hostages
In a twist of fate, Tomar, flying to meet his wife a few days after allegedly reproaching Singh, became one of the hostages in the IC-814 hijacking. He managed to keep his identity secret, and his name was kept out of the news, or else he may have been in even greater danger on the plane. The agent was also very well connected with the Vajpayee government, which may have led to complications during hostage negotiations, giving the hijackers more leverage.
“He (Tomar) was travelling to see his wife, Sonia, whose sister was married to N.K. Singh, the powerful principal secretary to the Vajpayee government,” claim Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark in their book, ‘Spy Stories.’ “Sonia’s eldest sister, Shyama, was a Congress party candidate, who that year had successfully won the Lok Sabha seat for Aurangabad, in Bihar. She was married to Nikhil Kumar, the director general of the National Security Guards, whose outfit would have stormed the plane. These connections might have prevented another outcome.”
When it comes to the rest of the exploits of Ram Chandra Yadav in the show, they are likely a result of creative liberties taken by the writers, as there are no publicly available reports of U.V. Singh’s further contributions to the incident. In 2001, Nepali internal security received a tip-off of about 16 kgs of RDX being smuggled into the Kathmandu airport. They carried out a raid in which Arshad Cheema was caught red-handed with the explosives, and his claims of diplomatic immunity did him little good as he was deported, leaving his countrymen embarrassed. One can only imagine U.V. Singh smiling to himself upon having had his retribution.
Read More: IC 814: Is Vinay Kaul Based on a Real Indian NSA?
