Who was Jaswant Singh Khalra, the Sikh activist on whom Diljit Dosanjh's film 'Satluj' is based
Decades later, Diljit Dosanjh brought his story to screen in Satluj — a film cursed with three title changes, over a hundred censor cuts, and a cancelled festival premiere.
- Jul 7, 2026,
- Updated Jul 7, 2026 11:58 AM IST
He vanished in 1995 — no body, no grave, just a name Punjab still whispers. Jaswant Singh Khalra was the activist who uncovered thousands of unidentified bodies, allegedly cremated in secret by Punjab Police during the militancy years. He had proof. Then he disappeared too — allegedly picked up by the very force he was exposing.
Decades later, Diljit Dosanjh brought his story to screen in Satluj — a film cursed with three title changes, over a hundred censor cuts, and a cancelled festival premiere. It finally released on ZEE5, only to vanish within 48 hours, no explanation given. So what really happened to Khalra? And why does his film keep disappearing too?
Who was Jaswant Singh Khalra, the Sikh activist at the centre of Satluj?
Born in 1952 in Amritsar, he was a bank employee-turned-human rights activist from Punjab. Jaswant Singh Khalra became internationally known for documenting alleged human rights violations in the border state during the militancy years.
He served as the general secretary of the Human Rights Wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal. Khalra disappeared on September 6, 1995, after he was allegedly abducted by Punjab police personnel outside his Amritsar home. He was kept in illegal custody, severely tortured at the Jhabal police station, and eventually shot dead. His body was thrown into the Sutlej river and never recovered.
After years of legal battle led by his widow, Paramjit Kaur Khalra, 6 Punjab police officials were convicted for Khalra's abduction and murder.
What did he disclose during KPS Gill's tenure?
He alleged that the Punjab Police secretly cremated thousands of unidentified bodies during the counter-insurgency campaign. Khalra then compiled and investigated records from municipal cremation grounds in Amritsar and Tarn Taran.
Based on this investigation, Jaswant Singh Khalra estimated that around 25,000 unidentified bodies were illegally cremated across the state between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. He claimed that many of those cremated were victims of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, questioning the Punjab Police's conduct under former Director General of Police KPS Gill.
Satluj makers vs CBFC
The film's director Honey Trehan claimed that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) didn't merely seek edits for violent scenes. He said that the CBFC asked for around 127 changes, including changing the film's title, removing or altering references to Punjab Police, changing names of real people, removing references to certain places, deleting shots featuring the Indian flag, and toning down or deleting several dialogues and scenes linked to the investigation.
The film's title was changed several times, as it was originally announced as Ghallughara and later renamed as Punjab '95. It was finally released on Zee5 as Satluj due to the certification dispute.
Removed from Zee5
Within two days of its release, the film was removed from Zee5's Indian catalogue. Zee5 said in a public statement, "In light of the current developments, Satluj will be unavailable in India until further notice. We remain committed to exploring every appropriate avenue through due process to bring the film back to our audiences at the earliest opportunity."
He vanished in 1995 — no body, no grave, just a name Punjab still whispers. Jaswant Singh Khalra was the activist who uncovered thousands of unidentified bodies, allegedly cremated in secret by Punjab Police during the militancy years. He had proof. Then he disappeared too — allegedly picked up by the very force he was exposing.
Decades later, Diljit Dosanjh brought his story to screen in Satluj — a film cursed with three title changes, over a hundred censor cuts, and a cancelled festival premiere. It finally released on ZEE5, only to vanish within 48 hours, no explanation given. So what really happened to Khalra? And why does his film keep disappearing too?
Who was Jaswant Singh Khalra, the Sikh activist at the centre of Satluj?
Born in 1952 in Amritsar, he was a bank employee-turned-human rights activist from Punjab. Jaswant Singh Khalra became internationally known for documenting alleged human rights violations in the border state during the militancy years.
He served as the general secretary of the Human Rights Wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal. Khalra disappeared on September 6, 1995, after he was allegedly abducted by Punjab police personnel outside his Amritsar home. He was kept in illegal custody, severely tortured at the Jhabal police station, and eventually shot dead. His body was thrown into the Sutlej river and never recovered.
After years of legal battle led by his widow, Paramjit Kaur Khalra, 6 Punjab police officials were convicted for Khalra's abduction and murder.
What did he disclose during KPS Gill's tenure?
He alleged that the Punjab Police secretly cremated thousands of unidentified bodies during the counter-insurgency campaign. Khalra then compiled and investigated records from municipal cremation grounds in Amritsar and Tarn Taran.
Based on this investigation, Jaswant Singh Khalra estimated that around 25,000 unidentified bodies were illegally cremated across the state between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. He claimed that many of those cremated were victims of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, questioning the Punjab Police's conduct under former Director General of Police KPS Gill.
Satluj makers vs CBFC
The film's director Honey Trehan claimed that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) didn't merely seek edits for violent scenes. He said that the CBFC asked for around 127 changes, including changing the film's title, removing or altering references to Punjab Police, changing names of real people, removing references to certain places, deleting shots featuring the Indian flag, and toning down or deleting several dialogues and scenes linked to the investigation.
The film's title was changed several times, as it was originally announced as Ghallughara and later renamed as Punjab '95. It was finally released on Zee5 as Satluj due to the certification dispute.
Removed from Zee5
Within two days of its release, the film was removed from Zee5's Indian catalogue. Zee5 said in a public statement, "In light of the current developments, Satluj will be unavailable in India until further notice. We remain committed to exploring every appropriate avenue through due process to bring the film back to our audiences at the earliest opportunity."