Satluj row: Govt sets up high-level committee to examine content of Diljit Dosanjh movie
Satluj movie row: The film, which portrays the life of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra in Punjab during the 1990s, was removed on Sunday evening following a directive from the Centre.
- Jul 7, 2026,
- Updated Jul 7, 2026 12:44 PM IST
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has set up a high-level committee to look into the content of Diljit Dosanjh’s latest movie that has been taken down from OTT platform Zee5. The government had earlier cited “security concerns” and “obligations” for removing the movie.
"The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has set up a high-level Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) to examine the content of the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj, a film inspired by the disappearance of a Punjab-based human rights activist. The committee was constituted on Monday, a day after the Centre directed OTT platform Zee5 to remove the film from its platform,” sources told news agency ANI.
The film, which portrays the life of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra in Punjab during the 1990s, was removed on Sunday evening following a directive from the Centre. Its removal sparked demands for its release from Punjab political parties and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), while Dosanjh said he had anticipated the move.
Satluj has already been delayed for over three years. It was released uncut on ZEE5 on Friday under a different title and without promotion but was taken down two days later. OTT content is not regulated by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) but falls under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
A government official stated that the makers had applied for CBFC certification in 2022 under the original title Punjab 95 but did not accept the 127 cuts suggested by the board and withheld the release. The film was quietly released on OTT with a new title. When the government became aware, ZEE5 was directed to remove it due to security concerns and to comply with intermediary guidelines.
Directed by Honey Trehan, the film depicts Khalra's investigation into the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab from 1984 to 1994. Khalra was abducted in 1995 and never seen again. In 2005, four Punjab Police personnel were convicted for his abduction and murder and sentenced to seven years in prison, a sentence later enhanced to life imprisonment by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has set up a high-level committee to look into the content of Diljit Dosanjh’s latest movie that has been taken down from OTT platform Zee5. The government had earlier cited “security concerns” and “obligations” for removing the movie.
"The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has set up a high-level Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) to examine the content of the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj, a film inspired by the disappearance of a Punjab-based human rights activist. The committee was constituted on Monday, a day after the Centre directed OTT platform Zee5 to remove the film from its platform,” sources told news agency ANI.
The film, which portrays the life of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra in Punjab during the 1990s, was removed on Sunday evening following a directive from the Centre. Its removal sparked demands for its release from Punjab political parties and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), while Dosanjh said he had anticipated the move.
Satluj has already been delayed for over three years. It was released uncut on ZEE5 on Friday under a different title and without promotion but was taken down two days later. OTT content is not regulated by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) but falls under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
A government official stated that the makers had applied for CBFC certification in 2022 under the original title Punjab 95 but did not accept the 127 cuts suggested by the board and withheld the release. The film was quietly released on OTT with a new title. When the government became aware, ZEE5 was directed to remove it due to security concerns and to comply with intermediary guidelines.
Directed by Honey Trehan, the film depicts Khalra's investigation into the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab from 1984 to 1994. Khalra was abducted in 1995 and never seen again. In 2005, four Punjab Police personnel were convicted for his abduction and murder and sentenced to seven years in prison, a sentence later enhanced to life imprisonment by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.