Jalandhar— In a strong stance on freedom of expression and historical accountability, Punjab Congress MLA and former Indian hockey captain Pargat Singh has voiced support for the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj (previously titled Punjab ’95), urging that painful chapters of Punjab’s history should be confronted rather than censored.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Singh described the film as being based on the true story of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. He highlighted how it portrays “a painful chapter in Punjab’s history, highlighting the misuse of state power and the injustice suffered by innocent people.”
“Truth should be confronted, not censored. Only by acknowledging history can we strengthen justice and accountability,” Singh wrote. He contrasted the restrictions on Satluj with the allowance of films “widely criticized as propaganda,” questioning the space for truth and historical accountability.The Film and Its ControversiesSatluj, directed by Honey Trehan, stars Diljit Dosanjh as Jaswant Singh Khalra, a bank employee-turned-activist who documented thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings and secret cremations by Punjab Police during the militancy period in the 1980s and 1990s. Khalra was abducted in 1995 and later murdered; a CBI probe led to convictions of police officials.
The film, which faced over three years of delays due to CBFC demands for numerous cuts (reports mention up to 127), was released uncut on Zee5 on July 3, 2026, under the new title. It was reportedly pulled from the platform in India shortly after, sparking widespread debate on censorship, though it remains available in other regions. Pargat Singh, a Padma Shri and Arjuna awardee who represented India in hockey at the 1992 and 1996 Olympics and previously served as Punjab’s Sports and Education Minister, has emerged as a vocal supporter of the project amid the row.The film’s release and subsequent issues have drawn reactions from across Punjab’s political and cultural spectrum, with many viewing it as a significant depiction of state excesses during a turbulent era. Diljit Dosanjh has also addressed the developments, emphasizing the importance of the story. Singh’s intervention underscores ongoing debates in Punjab about balancing historical reckoning with concerns over communal sensitivities and law and order narratives from the militancy years.As discussions continue, the MLA’s call highlights a key question: in a democracy, how much space exists for cinematic explorations of documented historical events?