The committee constituted by the Center to examine the content of the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer ‘Satluj’ has recommended maintaining the ban on its public access through online streaming platforms, as the film is alleged to be against India’s sovereignty and integrity, government sources said on Saturday.
Directed by Honey Trehan, the film depicts the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who investigated the burning of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab between 1984 and 1994 and was kidnapped and killed by state police in 1995.
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It was pulled from the OTT platform ZEE5 for viewers in India two days after its release on July 3 after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting cited security concerns.
Following this, the ministry constituted an inter-departmental committee (IDC) under the IT Rules 2021 to conduct a detailed examination of the film and recommend the future course of action.
The issue has turned political in Punjab, with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) demanding the ban be lifted, and the Shiromani Akali Dal announcing plans to screen the film across the state.
The committee indicated that the ban on the film under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act was justified, sources said.
Section 69A empowers the government to block online content on grounds including sovereignty and integrity of India, defence, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states and public order.
The committee includes representatives from the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting, Home Affairs, Electronics and Information Technology, Women and Child Development, Foreign Affairs, Defence, Law and Justice, and others.
She noted that the film’s narrative is unbalanced because it whitewashes the actions of militants while highlighting the abuses committed by security forces in Punjab during the years of militancy.
Part III of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Code of Ethics) Rules, 2021, empowers the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to invoke Section 69A of the Information Technology Act under a mechanism aimed at supervising OTT content that does not fall under the purview of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
