After facing certification issues and controversies for many years, Diljit Dosanjh’s film ‘Sutlej’ (formerly known as ‘Punjab ’95’) was recently released on OTT, but after two days it was removed from the platform.
While the audience is waiting for this film to be streamed again on OTT, in the meantime let us tell you that this film is based on the life of real life hero Jaswant Singh Khalra. Do you know who he was?
Who was Jaswant Singh Khalra?
Jaswant Singh Khalra was a human rights activist from Punjab. He became famous internationally by exposing alleged illegal killings and secret cremation of dead bodies during the insurgency period in Punjab. Born in 1952 in Khalra village of Amritsar district, Khalra worked as a bank employee before working for human rights. According to media reports, Operation Blue Star, the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots had a deep impact on him.
Became famous because of this investigation
During that time, several Sikh families claimed that their relatives had gone missing after being picked up by the Punjab Police on suspicion of having links to militancy. When more people around him started going missing, Khalra started collecting evidence. During the investigation he came across Amritsar Municipal Corporation records, which contained the names, ages and addresses of thousands of people who were allegedly killed and secretly cremated without informing their families. His discovery caught the attention of the country and the world and made him recognized as one of the most prominent human rights activists of Punjab.
Jaswant Singh Khalra himself went missing in 1995
Jaswant Singh Khalra himself went missing in 1995. According to the Khalis Foundation, he was last seen washing his car outside his home just before he went missing. The next year, the CBI found evidence that showed he was detained at a police station in Tarn Taran. The agency had recommended prosecution of nine Punjab Police officers in the case of his kidnapping and murder.
After a long legal battle, on 16 October 2007, a division bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court enhanced the sentences of four accused to life imprisonment. These accused included former sub-inspectors Satnam Singh, Surinder Pal Singh and Jasbir Singh as well as former head constable Prithvipal Singh. Khalra is survived by his wife Paramjit Kaur Khalra and their two children, Navkiran Kaur and Janmeet Singh.
Sutlej removed two days after being streamed
As soon as ZEE5 announced the removal of the film, reactions from the audience started coming in on social media. Many people have expressed disappointment over the removal of this film. Let us tell you that ZEE5 had issued a statement on social media confirming the removal of the film. It is written in the post that ‘Sutlej’ got a very good response and thanks the viewers who subscribed, watched and supported it. The platform said it still supports the film, its director and its creative vision. Also, he said that they are considering legal options to bring ‘Sutlej’ back for Indian audiences as soon as possible.
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Directed by Honey Trehan, the film ‘Sutlej’ also stars Arjun Rampal, Kanwaljit Singh, Suvinder Vicky and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan in important roles. With its arrival on ZEE5, the almost three-year-long battle regarding certification ended, but ultimately the film was removed from the OTT platform.
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