Screenings of the film “Satluj,” which had been removed from streaming platforms, were held in Punjab

In villages and cities across the Indian state of Punjab, Sikh communities, activists, and political groups organized public screenings of the film “Satluj,” which tells the story of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Halru. The film did not receive certification for theatrical release, and the Zee5 streaming platform removed it after its online release, according to NPR World.

Hundreds of people gathered for a screening in the village of Bandala. Screenings also took place in the courtyards of Sikh gurdwaras, community halls, and on the streets of other towns in Punjab. In Amritsar, activists and political parties held rallies against the film’s ban. Some people downloaded unofficial copies of the film and shared them via WhatsApp and YouTube.

“Satluj” is a biographical film about Jaswant Singh Halra, played by actor Diljit Dosanjh. In the 1990s, Khalra documented reports of extrajudicial killings which, according to the film and his investigation, were carried out by security forces—primarily the Punjab police—after the Sikh separatist movement turned to armed struggle.

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Using municipal records and crematorium data, Halra compiled a list of approximately 2,000 young people who, he claims, were killed by the police in the Amritsar district. He also claimed that the number of victims in the state of Punjab could have reached 25,000. Human rights lawyer Sarabjit Singh Verka, who represented victims of the violence during that period, considers this estimate likely to be an overestimate.

In 1995, Halra disappeared from his home a few months after the allegations were made public. His body was never found. About ten years later, an Indian court found six police officers guilty of his abduction and murder.

Director Gani Trehan told NPR that the filmmakers were ready to release the film in theaters in December 2022, but officials from India’s Film Certification Board delayed the process for nearly four years. India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting did not respond to NPR’s inquiries regarding the reasons for the delay. Jagmohan Singh Raju, secretary-general of the ruling BJP party in Punjab, stated that authorities were concerned about a possible resurgence of separatist sentiments due to the film’s depiction of police violence.