Amritsar: Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar Singh Sahib Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj strongly condemned the Union Government’s decision to halt the broadcasting of the film Satluj in India. The film, which stars Diljit Dosanjh, is based on the life of human rights activist Shaheed Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra. The Jathedar termed the ban an attack on freedom of expression, stating that suppressing the history of atrocities committed against minority Sikhs at a time when human rights are discussed globally is unconstitutional and authoritarian.
Giani Kuldeep Singh Garhgaj highlighted that during the 1990s, when Sikh youths were subjected to mass killings and staged police encounters, Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra fought tirelessly to collect and expose the details of these illegal cremations to the world. He emphasised that truth cannot be suppressed forever and questioned why films depicting atrocities against the majority community are given free passage, while cinema highlighting the state excess against minority Sikhs faces censorship and bans.
The Jathedar urged the government to show magnanimity and allow the country to witness the truth uncovered by Khalra by lifting the restriction on the movie. He noted that special CBI courts in Mohali have continuously convicted several Punjab Police officials for their involvement in fake encounters, proving that these historical grievances are legally grounded. He concluded that the state must adopt a sincere approach to heal the deep wounds of the Sikh community from the post-1984 decade instead of hurting their sentiments by banning historical narratives.
