On Monday, the Union government constituted a high-level inter-departmental committee to examine the film Satluj’s content, a day after directing streaming platform ZEE5 to take it down, the Hindustan Times reported.
The film depicts extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances by the Punjab Police in the 1990s.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s order was issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, read with Part 3 of the Information Technology Rules, the newspaper quoted persons familiar with the matter as saying.
The film, previously titled Punjab ’95, is directed by Honey Trehan and stars actor Diljit Dosanjh. It was released on Zee5 on Friday. By late Sunday, the movie had been removed from the platform.
Zee5 said on social media that “in light of the current developments, Satluj will be unavailable in India until further notice”. It did not provide any details.
In a subsequent post, the platform said: “We are doing our bit to bring Satluj back. Please do yours – don’t support piracy. We remain committed to exploring every possible avenue to bring Satluj back to you.”
The film is based on human rights activist Jaswinder Singh Khalra’s efforts to expose the culture of brutality and impunity that prevailed in Punjab under the guise of fighting the Khalistani movement.
Khalra was abducted in September 1995, never to be seen again. A Central Bureau of Investigation team found that a Punjab Police unit had held Khalra without charges, murdered him in October 1995 and dumped his body. Some police officers were convicted for the murder.
In the film, Dosanjh’s character Jaswant investigates a death squad that has the protection of Bitta, the state police chief.
Punjab ’95 had faced strict censorship after it was completed in 2022. Over the course of several months, the censor board had demanded 127 cuts, effectively scuttling the release, Trehan had told Scroll in an interview last year.
The version that was briefly available on Zee5 was uncut.
An unidentified senior official of the information and broadcasting ministry told the Hindustan Times that the matter was being examined by the inter-departmental committee.
The panel is empowered to make recommendations to the Union government on content-related complaints.
Section 69A of the Information Technology Act allows the government to direct intermediaries to block or remove online content on grounds including public order, national security, and the sovereignty and integrity of India.
Part 3 of the Information Technology Rules extends aspects of this framework to publishers of online curated content and digital news, allowing the Union government to issue such directions to streaming platforms and news publishers.
Also read:
- ‘Satluj’ review: A harrowing, heart-rending tale of impunity and courage
- Why the film ‘Punjab ’95’ hasn’t seen light of day
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