Punjab deserves to confront its past with honesty: SAD chief Sukhbir Badal on move against ‘Satluj’

Chandigarh: SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday slammed the removal of Diljit Dosanjh‘s long-delayed film “Satluj” from an OTT platform, saying Punjab deserves to confront its past with honesty, not suppression.

The film, originally titled “Punjab 95“, was released in India on streaming service ZEE5 on Friday last. However, it became unavailable on the platform just two days later.

Badal said he was shocked and saddened by the “arbitrary removal of Satluj from #ZEE5 in India”.

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This is not mere censorship, it is an assault on our collective memory, truth, and freedom of expression, he said.

“I strongly condemn this move. Punjab deserves to confront its past with honesty, not suppression,” Badal said in a post on X.

“A powerful film that courageously unveils Punjab’s painful history and honours the supreme sacrifice of S. Jaswant Singh Ji Khalra cannot be silenced this way,” Badal said.

The film, based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, was stuck in censorship for over three years.

The Honey Trehan-directed movie was released without any cuts, but on Sunday evening the platform shared a statement to inform viewers that it’s no longer available in India.

“In light of the current developments, ‘Satluj’ will be unavailable in India until further notice. We remain committed to exploring every appropriate avenue through due process to bring the film back to our audiences at the earliest opportunity,” the streamer HAD said in a statement.

In the movie, Dosanjh essays the role of Khalra, who investigated the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab during a 10-year period from 1984 to 1994, before himself disappearing in 1995.

In 2005, four Punjab Police personnel were convicted for his abduction and murder and sentenced to seven years in prison.

Two years later, the Punjab and Haryana High Court enhanced their sentence to life imprisonment.

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In 2023, the movie was scheduled to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) but was removed from the line-up without any official statement from the organisers.

The social drama had run into trouble with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which had reportedly asked for an unprecedented 127 cuts. The delay in getting a clearance from the censor board forced the makers to postpone planned releases.

With its earlier title of “Punjab ’95”, the movie was slated for a worldwide release on February 7, 2025, without any cuts, except in India. But that release also did not happen.