The removal of the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer ‘Satluj’ just two days after releasing on Zee5 has led to a political blame game in Punjab. While Dosanjh waded in to the controversy saying- “No worries now, everyone has downloaded it. Once a film is out, it can never be destroyed”- a Delhi lawyer has sought an FIR against Dosanjh, the film’s director Honey Trehan and Zee5 alleging that the film sympathised with terrorism, violent extremism, and separatist ideology related to Punjab’s insurgency.
Amidst the political maelstrom, Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal condemned the removal saying, “This is not mere censorship, it is an assault on our collective memory, truth and freedom of expression.” He said Punjab deserved to confront its past with honesty, not suppression.
Meanwhile, senior SAD leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab had approached the central government to get the film removed from the OTT platform. She demanded the theatrical release of the film without any cuts so that the future generations could learn about what happened in Punjab in the 1990s.
However, AAP general secretary Deepak Bali has alleged that Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu was behind the move. He said, “The film depicts the role of his grandfather and former Chief Minister Beant Singh during Punjab’s dark era of terrorism, which may not have been acceptable to him.” AAP leader Baltej Pannu alleged that the BJP and Congress were trying to erase a painful chapter of Punjab’s past.
Senior Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira condemned the move saying films were an important means of preserving the historical truth.
Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan expressed serious concern over the move saying ideas, perspectives and historical facts ought to be debated openly through constitutional and democratic means rather than being suppressed.
The Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee also opposed the film’s removal with chief secretary Kulwant Singh Manan saying, “The government should ensure that people see this film. What is wrong if reality is shown and public come to know of what happened during those days in Punjab?”
A report in The Tribune quoted government sources as saying that certain portions of the film had the potential of being misused by anti-India forces. There were concerns that parts of the film could be exploited to draw support for the separatist movement especially ahead of the Punjab elections.
Praising the movie in an X post, cricketer-turned-Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh called it a must-watch. He said, “Khalra’s courage exposed evidence of alleged illegal disappearances and secret cremations, reminding us that the abuse of state power can leave wounds that last for generations. Punjab’s mothers are still waiting for answers. Truth cannot remain buried forever.”
The film underwent two name changes- originally titled “Ghallughara”, it was renamed “Punjab ’95” and finally, “Satluj”- before it was released on Zee5 after a three-year wait for certification for a theatrical release. Director Honey Trehan alleged the censor board had recommended 127 cuts which would have fundamentally altered the film. “Satluj” portrays the real-life story of Jaswant Singh Khalra, a bank employee-turned-human rights activist, who exposed the extrajudicial killing and secret cremation of over 25,000 unidentified persons by Punjab Police during the counter-insurgency operations in the early 1990s. He himself suffered the same fate at the hands of police personnel who were convicted years later in 2005.
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