The Diljit Dosanjh‑starrer *Satluj* vanished from the ZEE5 streaming platform only two days after its July 3 release, after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting cited “security concerns.” The abrupt takedown triggered a wave of demonstrations in Punjab, where Sikh institutions and opposition parties have called for the film’s restoration. Amid the uproar, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu publicly challenged the filmmakers, demanding documentary proof for the “disputed” claim of 25,000 illegal cremations.

Film’s Premise and Controversy

Directed by Honey Trehan and originally titled *Punjab ’95*, the movie dramatizes the life of human‑rights crusader Jaswant Singh Khalra. Khalra spent a decade documenting alleged mass cremations of unidentified bodies during the insurgency period (1984‑1994). The film asserts that 25,000 bodies were clandestinely burned—a number that Bittu described as “selectively edited history.” He warned that creative liberty cannot be used to present unverified allegations as established fact.

Bittu’s Formal Challenge

In a pointed statement, Bittu said, “Punjab’s traumatic past is not a script that can be edited selectively to suit a narrative. I challenge the producer and director of *Satluj* to place before the people of Punjab the complete documentary evidence, official records, judicial findings and authenticated data that conclusively establish the figure of 25,000 missing or illegally cremated bodies.” He further asked why viewers were not informed that the figure had never been confirmed by a final judicial determination.

Historical Context: Khalra’s Investigation and Verdicts

Jaswant Singh Khalra was abducted from outside his Amritsar home in September 1995 and later found murdered, his body never recovered. In 2005, a CBI court sentenced former DSP Jaspal Singh and ASI Amarjit Singh to life imprisonment for the abduction and murder, while four other policemen received seven‑year terms. The Punjab and Haryana High Court later upheld life sentences for most accused, a decision affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2011. Against this backdrop, the 25,000‑body claim remains a contentious estimate rather than a court‑recorded fact.

Reactions from Sikh Bodies and Political Parties

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) condemned the removal, arguing that “history must be confronted with honesty, not buried through censorship.” Both organisations have organized community screenings across villages, urging the government to lift the ban. Bittu warned that failure to provide credible evidence would compel legal and constitutional remedies to prevent the distortion of Punjab’s history.