The removal of Diljit Dosanjh's Satluj from Zee5 has drawn strong criticism from the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), which has now announced plans to screen the film publicly and organise awareness programmes centred on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka condemned the film's withdrawal, arguing that a biographical film documenting Khalra's work should not be kept away from audiences.
Calling the move an attempt to suppress a significant chapter of Punjab's history, Kalka said Khalra had exposed evidence relating to nearly 25,000 people who were allegedly cremated as "unclaimed" during the years of militancy and counter-insurgency in the state. He said the activist took the issue beyond India, bringing international attention to the alleged human rights violations, and added that preventing people from learning about those events had angered the Sikh community.
The committee has now decided to hold public screenings of Satluj across different localities. Kalka said members of the Gurdwara committee have been instructed to download the film and screen it in their respective areas so that more people can watch it.
He also revealed that the DSGMC will soon meet the heads of institutions run by the committee to introduce seminars on Jaswant Singh Khalra's life and contributions. According to Kalka, the initiative aims to show students how a single individual can bring about meaningful social change and encourage them to contribute to society in similar ways.
Directed by Honey Trehan, Satluj features Diljit Dosanjh as Jaswant Singh Khalra, the Punjab-based activist whose investigation into alleged illegal killings and secret cremations during the late 1980s and early 1990s became one of the country's most widely discussed human rights cases. Khalra disappeared in 1995, and a decade later, four Punjab Police personnel were convicted in connection with his abduction, torture and murder. His body has never been recovered.
The film had a long and troubled journey to release. Originally titled Punjab 95, it remained stuck with the Central Board of Film Certification for nearly four years after the board reportedly sought around 120 cuts. It eventually premiered on Zee5 last week under the new title Satluj and, notably, in its uncut form.
However, the film was taken down from the streaming platform just two days after its release. While Zee5 attributed the decision to unspecified "developments", reports have suggested the removal was linked to alleged violations of the Information Technology Rules. Produced by RSVP and MacGuffin Pictures, Satluj also stars Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan.