Blocking Satluj Bid To Suppress Truth Akal Takht Acting Jathedar

Akal Takht acting jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj on Tuesday condemned the decision to block the screening of the film, Satluj, in India, calling the move a direct assault on freedom of expression and an attempt to suppress historical truth.

“At a time when the world upholds freedom of expression and places significant emphasis on the protection of human rights, preventing the truth about the atrocities committed against the Sikh minority in India from reaching the citizens in the country and the global community is an unconstitutional and unjust act,” Giani Gargaj said in Amritsar.

The acting jathedar urged the government to display statesmanship by allowing Satluj to be screened, arguing that running from historical accountability is futile as the judiciary has already verified these crimes. Ultimately, he called on the state to adopt a sincere and serious approach toward delivering justice and healing the community’s long-standing wounds, warning that banning the film only deepens Sikh alienation and hurts community sentiments.

The biographical drama, which also stars Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky, and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, chronicles the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who painstakingly uncovered records of extra-judicial killings and the secret cremation of thousands of unidentified Sikh youths by Punjab Police during the militancy era of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Khalra himself was abducted, tortured, and murdered at the behest of police officials in 1995, and his body was disposed of in the Sutlej river—a landmark case that eventually led to the conviction and sentencing of Punjab Police officers by a CBI court in Mohali.

Giani Gargaj alleged double standards in the present cinematic landscape, noting that while films detailing the historical suffering of other communities—particularly the majority community—are granted free screening rights, a project highlighting the persecution of Sikhs is suppressed.

While ZEE5 confirmed in an official statement that the film will remain unavailable in India until further notice while they explore options to bring it back, officials from the ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) alleged that the makers bypassed regulation. According to I&B officials, the film lacked the required certification for a theatrical release, and instead of complying with the CBFC process, the filmmakers allegedly changed the title from Punjab ’95 to Satluj and proceeded with an OTT release, violating provisions of the Information Technology Rules, 2021.

Surjit Singh is a correspondent. He covers politics and agriculture, besides religious affairs and Indo-Pak border in Amritsar and Tarn Taran.