Govt Pulls 'Satluj' from ZEE5 Over Security Concerns, Rekindling Punjab's Painful Past

The ban on 'Satluj'has reopened painful memories for families who lost loved ones, still listed as missing

NEW DELHI: Govt invoked security grounds to ask ZEE5 to pull down 'Satluj' after its makers released the movie 'Punjab 95' under the new name on the OTT platform as the film's theatrical release remained in limbo for nearly three years due to censor's objections to parts of its content. 'Satluj' features actor Diljit Dosanjh playing human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra who uncovered rights abuses allegedly by Punjab Police in its fight against terrorism before disappearing in 1995. Four police personnel were later convicted for his abduction and murder. The movie-makers did not come back to the censor board, and with content regulations for OTT more relaxed than big screen and TV, they released it with a new name on ZEE5, where it remained available for two days. Using its powers, govt asked the platform to remove it due to security reasons, sources said. The decade between mid-80s and mid-90s was a rather turbulent and volatile period in Punjab, as pro-Khalistan terror groups ran amok before being reined in and neutralised by police, who were accused of numerous excesses in their operations. The movie-makers' decision to release the movie on OTT has again brought to fore the issue of regulation in the new mode of entertainment and information, an issue flagged by a parliamentary standing committee headed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey in its report. The committee has made recommendations, including amendments in existing laws, to deal with the issue.'Encounter' victims kin oppose film ban The ban on 'Satluj'has reopened painful memories for families who lost loved ones, still listed as missing. Relatives of many such victims told TOI that it should not have been banned as it highlights a painful chapter of Punjab's history that needs to be acknowledged rather than suppressed. "There can never be justice for what we lost," was the common sentiment expressed by the families, who said "Satluj" should be screened so that younger generations may understand what many endured.