Removal of Satluj aimed at suppressing Sikh history: IIOJK-based Sikh United Front
Jammu,: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the Sikh United Front (SUF), along with representatives of various Sikh organizations, has strongly condemned the removal of the film ‘Satluj’ from an OTT platform ZEE5, describing the move as an attempt to suppress a painful chapter of Punjab’s history.
According to Kashmir Media Service, addressing a press conference in Jammu, SUF chairman Sudarshan Singh Wazir said the film, based on the life and work of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, was taken down from the streaming platform shortly after its release. Prominent Sikh leaders and representatives of various Sikh organizations were present in the press conference.
Wazir said Satluj, directed by Honey Trehan and starring Diljit Dosanjh, depicts Khalra’s efforts to expose extrajudicial killings and secret cremations during Punjab’s uprising in the 1990s. He said Khalra’s documentation of the disappearances of thousands of Sikhs brought international attention to the issue before his pursuit of justice ultimately cost him his life. Notably, in September 1995, shortly after returning from a foreign trip, Khalra was abducted from outside his home in Amritsar by men his family identified as police. He was tortured and killed in custody. His body was never recovered.
Wazir said the removal of the film was an attempt to prevent the truth from reaching the public and suppress an important part of Sikh history.
Questioning what he termed the selective treatment of films based on historical events, Wazir said productions portraying the experiences of other communities were allowed wide public release, while Satluj had been subjected to restrictions. He said every community should have the right to present its history without discrimination or censorship.
The SUF chairman urged Gurdwara committees to organize community screenings of the film and called on the Indian government and the relevant authorities to ensure transparency, justice and freedom of expression by allowing unrestricted public access to Satluj.
