Political parties and Sikh organisations in Punjab on Monday condemned the removal of Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj from the ZEE5 streaming platform, describing it as an attempt to suppress one of the state’s darkest chapters and demanding that the film be restored.
Directed by Honey Trehan, Satluj chronicles the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who exposed the alleged secret cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab before being abducted in 1995. He was never seen again. Four Punjab Police personnel were later convicted for his abduction and murder, with their life sentences upheld after the Punjab and Haryana High Court enhanced the punishment.
Originally titled Punjab ’95, the film remained stuck with censors for more than three years after its makers refused to accept 127 cuts suggested by the Central Board of Film Certification. It was eventually released without cuts but was taken down from ZEE5 on Sunday evening, with the platform informing viewers that it was no longer available in India.
The move drew sharp criticism across the political spectrum. Punjab’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded the film’s immediate restoration, saying younger generations should be allowed to learn about the state’s history without “political censorship”.
AAP leader Baltej Pannu alleged that the BJP and Congress were working together “to erase Congress’s black history in Punjab and prevent the younger generation from learning the truth about one of the darkest chapters in the state’s past”.
“The younger generation wants to know what happened in Punjab during 1978, 1984, the 1990s and other crucial periods. If they are denied books and documentaries, films become an important way of preserving historical truth,” he said.
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