SAD to Screen Removed Film 'Satluj' Across Punjab, AAP Accuses Party of Hypocrisy

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday announced plans to screen the film 'Satluj' across Punjab, days after it was removed from the OTT platform ZEE5. The film, originally titled 'Punjab '95', depicts the life of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra during the militancy period in Punjab between the mid-1980s and early-1990s. It was released uncut on ZEE5 on July 3 under its new title but was later taken down.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal stated that he has directed all party workers and leaders to ensure the film is shown in every village, town, and city across the state. 'The aim is to ensure that today's youth and future generations know about the unspeakable tragedy and repression during the then-Congress governments. This film presents the agony of Punjab during that phase. Now, Punjabis, especially Sikhs, are being stopped from recalling and recording that era. SAD will never remain a mute witness to this injustice,' Badal said.

In response, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab chief spokesperson Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal accused SAD of hypocrisy, citing a statement from Paramjit Kaur Khalra, wife of Jaswant Singh Khalra. Dhaliwal said, 'She has revealed that Sukhbir Badal wrote a letter to the Central government seeking a ban on the Punjabi film Satluj. If this is true, nothing can be more shameful. This exposes the Badal family's real face before the Sikh community and the people of Punjab.'

Dhaliwal further alleged that the Congress committed atrocities during that period, the BJP government is now preventing the truth from reaching the people, and the Badal family is helping suppress it. 'All three have worked together whenever it came to hiding the truth about Punjab,' he added.

The developments highlight ongoing political tensions in Punjab over the portrayal of the state's turbulent history.