High-level government panel to examine Satluj after Zee5 takedown: Sources

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has set up a high-level committee to examine Satluj after its removal from Zee5. The move brings formal scrutiny under Section 69A to a film already caught in a long censorship row.

In Short

• The film was pulled from Zee5 within two days of release
• Satluj portrays Punjab's 1990s disappearances and alleged extra-judicial police killings
• The story draws from Jaswinder Singh Khalra's efforts to expose abuses

A high-level inter-departmental committee of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will examine the content of the film Satluj, sources told India Today. The matter is being examined by the inter-departmental committee, or IDC, under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.

The move comes a day after the ministry directed streaming platform Zee5 to remove the film. Satluj, previously titled Punjab '95, stars Diljit Dosanjh and is directed by Honey Trehan. It was released on Zee5 on Friday and was removed from the platform by late Sunday.

Section 69A empowers the government to direct intermediaries to block or remove access to online content on grounds including national security. The ministry's order was issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, read with Part 3 of the Information Technology Rules, persons familiar with the matter were quoted as saying. The panel is empowered to make recommendations to the Union government on content-related complaints.

On Sunday, Zee5 said the film would no longer be available to viewers in India, citing the “current developments” around its release. In its statement, the platform said the film’s streaming had been put on hold and maintained that it continued to support both the project and its makers, though it did not explain the reason behind the decision. Interestingly, Diljit Dosanjh had already hinted that the film might be taken down shortly after its release on Zee5.

In a later post, the OTT 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."

Satluj draws from the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, portrayed by Diljit Dosanjh in the film. Khalra is known for bringing attention to the illegal cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies during Punjab’s militancy years in the 1980s and 1990s. Through his work, he gathered material that pointed to the secret cremation of people who had gone missing during the insurgency, carried out by the police without their families being informed.

Khalra’s investigation drew global attention to allegations of human rights abuses during one of the most volatile chapters in Punjab’s history. In 1995, he was abducted and later killed. In the years that followed, several police personnel were convicted for their role in his abduction and murder.

In the film, Dosanjh plays Jaswant, who investigates a death squad protected by Bitta (Kanwaljit Singh), the state police chief. The film had faced censorship issues after it was completed in 2022, and Trehan had alleged that the censor board demanded 127 cuts. The version that was briefly available on Zee5 was uncut.

The formation of the high-level interdepartmental committee means the Centre is now formally examining Satluj's content after its removal from Zee5, with the matter being considered under Section 69A.

- Ends