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NEW DELHI: Political parties across Punjab on Monday criticised the removal of Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj from streaming platform ZEE5, with leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Congress calling for the film’s restoration and saying Punjab’s history should not be suppressed through censorship.The Honey Trehan-directed film, based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, was released on ZEE5 on Friday without cuts after remaining stuck with the censors for more than three years. However, the platform removed it from India on Sunday without specifying the reason.SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal termed the move an attack on freedom of expression.”This is not mere censorship, it is an assault on our collective memory, truth, and freedom of expression,” Badal said.”I strongly condemn this move. Punjab deserves to confront its past with honesty, not suppression,” he added.Punjab’s ruling AAP also condemned the decision and demanded that the film be restored, saying it was important for younger generations to understand the state’s history.AAP leader Baltej Pannu alleged that the BJP and Congress were trying to erase a painful chapter of Punjab’s past.”The younger generation wants to know what happened in Punjab during 1978, 1984, the 1990s and other crucial periods. If they are denied books and documentaries, films become an important way of preserving historical truth,” Pannu said.AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang questioned why films on Punjab’s past faced restrictions while other politically sensitive films were freely screened.Senior Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira also criticised the removal of the film.”I strongly condemn the removal of ‘Satluj’ film enacted by Diljit Dosanjh about police brutality in abducting and eliminating Prof Jaswant Singh Khalra, Human Rights activist in 1995,” Khaira said.Congress MP Dharamvira Gandhi described the move as “unfortunate” and an attack on freedom of expression.Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon said the party was looking into the matter.”I am finding out the reason. We are taking up the matter,” he told reporters.The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) also opposed the film’s removal.”The film should not have been removed from the platform. The government should ensure that people see this film. What is wrong if reality is shown and public come to know of what happened during those days in Punjab,” SGPC chief secretary Kulwant Singh Manan said.SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia said removing the film would not erase history.”History cannot be banned. The more you try to suppress it, the stronger Diljit’s ‘Satluj’ will flow,” he said.Satluj, originally titled Punjab ’95, chronicles the life of Jaswant Singh Khalra, who investigated the alleged cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab between 1984 and 1994. Khalra disappeared in 1995, and four Punjab Police personnel were later convicted in his abduction and murder case. The film had earlier faced delays over the 127 cuts suggested by the Central Board of Film Certification, which the filmmakers refused to accept.
