Government Panel Blocks Film 'Satluj' Citing UAPA Risks and Potential Pakistan Misuse

The Indian government's Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) has recommended that the film 'Satluj' remain blocked from public access in India, citing concerns under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the potential for misuse by Pakistan. The film, directed by Honey Trehan and starring Diljit Dosanjh, is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who died in police custody after investigating disappearances during the militancy period in Punjab. It was released on the OTT platform ZEE5 on July 3 but was removed for Indian viewers two days later.

The IDC's July 9 order states that 'Khalistan-related propaganda, foreign-based separatist mobilisation, and hostile information operations are continuing concerns, with multiple pro-Khalistan organisations listed as terrorist organisations under the UAPA framework.' The committee also noted that the current security context in Punjab poses an 'immediate risk' of the film becoming a tool for reviving separatist grievances among youth.

According to the committee, the film could be used by hostile state or non-state actors to spread a misleading narrative of Sikh oppression by the Indian state. It specifically mentioned that Pakistan-based actors have already begun using the film as evidence of Indian state brutality against Sikhs, with the intent to spread separatist ideology. The order also referenced Sikhs For Justice, a pro-Khalistan group declared an unlawful association under UAPA.

The committee observed that the film's 'one-sidedness aligns with the structure of pro-Khalistan propaganda,' suggesting that it portrays Sikhs as collectively targeted, the state as suppressing truth, and violence against state figures as justified. The order emphasized that the film 'need not explicitly call for secession if it supplies the emotional and evidentiary building blocks of secessionist propaganda.'

The recommendation was made under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which allows the government to block content in the interest of national security. The Indian Express first reported the committee's decision on Saturday.