The Controversy Surrounding the Removal of the Film *Satluj* from ZEE5
The whole thing blew up over that film, Satluj , starring Diljit Dosanjh, being pulled off ZEE5 in India. It wasn’t just some casual streaming decision. It turned into this huge political mess, opposition leaders and Sikh groups immediately jumping in, calling it an outright attack on free speech.
But you had the BJP side too. They were spinning it entirely differently. They argued that the film actually dealt with a really painful part of Punjab's history something people shouldn’t just sweep under the rug.
ZEE5 made the call to pull it, saying they were doing it "in light of the current developments." They promised they would explore whatever avenues were appropriate through due process to try and get it back for Indian audiences. But what exactly were those developments? Nobody really said.
The movie itself, directed by Honey Trehan, is about a human rights activist named Jaswant Singh Khalra. He’s the one who investigated these awful things the cremation of thousands of bodies in Punjab between the eighties and nineties, and then he just vanished in '95. That's the core story.
It was supposed to be a long shot, you know? It got stuck for over three years dealing with certification nonsense before it finally landed on an OTT platform last Friday. There were all these title changes thrown in it started as Ghallughara , then they pushed it to Punjab ’95 after getting mandated cuts from the board. That whole process just drags things out, doesn't it?
Sukhbir Singh Badal, the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, was furious about the removal. He called it arbitrary, pure censorship. He posted something on X saying he was shocked by this sudden snatching away of Satluj from ZEE5 India.
He felt it wasn't just a movie issue. It was an assault on what Punjab remembers on their collective memory and freedom of expression. He insisted that the film had to be seen because it exposed some harsh truths about the past, especially concerning Jaswant Singh Khalra’s fate.
Then you had Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira weighing in. He echoed the condemnation. He pointed out that there were gross human rights violations happening back then in Punjab, and the mysterious disappearance of Prof Khalra just adds to the scar tissue.
Khaira brought up something about the Supreme Court's decision regarding the police officers involved in those abductions. He urged the government to release the film so people could see what a police state really looks like in Punjab right now. It’s about making sure future generations know this stuff.
Meanwhile, the SGPC the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee stepped in. Chief Secretary Kulwant Singh Mannan commented on the history. He mentioned that the film had been submitted back in 2022 under the title Punjab ’95 . He basically asked everyone, especially the younger generation, to watch it because it showed the struggle of Jaswant Singh Khalra.
The BJP side brought up a different angle when RP Singh, the National Spokesperson, weighed in on the violence of the nineties. He framed it as an unavoidable historical reality. He pointed out that there was violence then people were killed by the police, and those who stood up against that brutality got killed too. That’s a bitter truth about Punjab that just hasn't healed yet.
So you see the real friction here: one side sees this film as necessary history demanding exposure. The other side views it through a political lens, seeing it either as an attack on memory or something needing careful handling right now. ZEE5 just remains silent on what exactly those "current developments" are that forced them to act. They thanked viewers for watching, said their support meant a lot, and then they doubled down on promising due process. It’s all very murky.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
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