Key facts
- ZEE5 removed 'Satluj' (Punjab 95) citing government security concerns and IT Rules
- SGPC and SAD have condemned the film's removal
- CBFC had previously held up the film's theatrical certification
- Film is based on human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra's story
ZEE5 has taken down the film 'Satluj' — previously known as 'Punjab 95' and starring Diljit Dosanjh — after the government cited national security concerns and invoked IT Rules to compel the removal. The abrupt takedown, coming shortly after the film's surprise OTT debut, has sparked a fierce backlash from Sikh religious and political bodies.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have both condemned the move, accusing the government of suppressing a film that deals with a sensitive chapter of Sikh history. The film, which chronicles events surrounding human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, had already faced a prolonged battle with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) before reaching audiences via the streaming route.
The controversy exposes what critics describe as a growing pattern of informal, pressure-based censorship on Indian OTT platforms — a phenomenon that operates outside the formal certification process but achieves the same silencing effect. Unlike theatrical releases, which must clear the CBFC, streaming content in India operates under a self-regulatory framework; however, the government's invocation of IT Rules suggests that framework can be overridden when authorities deem content a security risk.
The removal has reignited a broader debate about artistic freedom, the limits of state intervention in cultural expression, and whether platforms like ZEE5 — which answered to government pressure without a court order — are willing custodians of controversial but legitimate storytelling. For Diljit Dosanjh and the filmmakers, the episode marks another setback in a years-long effort to bring the story of Jaswant Singh Khalra to a wide audience.