The Modi government’s heavy hand on free expression has struck again. After years of delays and endless wrangling with censors demanding cut after cut, Satluj, a film on human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra starring Diljit Dosanjh, finally got clearance. Yet it was yanked from ZEE5 within 48 hours of its quiet OTT release.
Officials cited “security concerns” and fears of misuse by “anti-India forces.” This is not oversight. It is outright censorship, plain and simple.
Khalra exposed the dark underbelly of Punjab’s militancy era when thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings and secret cremations by police took place. His work shone light on real abuses and cost him his life.
KPS Gill, the police chief credited with crushing terrorism, stands as a complex figure too. He restored order in a state torn by Pakistan-backed violence, but faced serious accusations of excesses. Both men had their rights and wrongs. History is rarely black and white. Yet instead of letting audiences judge, the government has chosen silence.
This selective gagging exposes double standards. The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Files faced storms but were released and streamed widely. Why the different yardstick for Satluj?
Punjab is not some fragile tinderbox waiting to explode over a film. Its people have endured far worse and moved forward. Suppressing stories does not heal wounds. It only festers them.
With Punjab elections looming next year, the political milking has begun in full force. Akali Dal leaders have vowed to screen the film village to village, turning it into a campaign tool. Congress, BJP, and Akalis each see electoral juice in this tragedy. One side is busy highlighting state excesses, others the terrorist horrors. All parties play their games while genuine history gets buried under poll arithmetic.
Indian media already gasps at its dying stage, reduced to echoes of power. Now the same disease has spread to cinema. Filmmakers deserve freedom to tell stories, even uncomfortable ones. Bold voices like Honey Trehan should not have to fight endless battles for clearance only to see their work pulled.
On social media, the debate rages hot. Veteran journalist Tavleen Singh and Hartosh Singh Bal have defended Gill’s role in ending terror, clashing with critics like Swati Chaturvedi and others on X questioning selective narratives. Such exchanges are precisely the reason why open discussion, not bans, is needed.
Censorship solves nothing. It insults the intelligence of Punjabis and all Indians.
Let Satluj be screened. Let history be told, fully and fairly.
