Indian movie Satluj A government official, requesting anonymity, said that the channel was removed from the Zee 5 streaming platform because it contained pro-Khalistani content. Diljit Dosanjh’s film on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra has been removed from Zee 5 just two days after its premiere on Friday.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has issued an order to remove Zee5 under Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act and the matter is currently being examined by the inter-departmental committee constituted under the Information Technology Rules, 2021, HT reported on Monday.
Center directives for removal Satluj From Zee5 for security reasons under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. The matter will be examined later by the inter-departmental committee constituted under the IT Rules, 2021, as per the prescribed procedures, the above-mentioned official added.
The orders under Section 69A are confidential in nature and empower the government to block online content in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, or to prevent incitement to the commission of any cognizable offense relating to these grounds.
Directed by Honey Trehan, the film depicts Khalra’s life during the turbulent 1990s in Punjab. Dosanjh appears as Khalra, who was kidnapped in 1995 and never seen again.
Originally titled Punjab ’95, the film was released on Zee 5 after a nearly three-year tussle with the Indian Censor Board over its planned theatrical release, during which the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) required 127 cuts. The makers eventually decided to go the streaming route and an unedited version of the film was eventually released on Zee5 on Friday.
Content on streaming platforms and the platforms themselves do not fall under the jurisdiction of the CBFC, and films on these platforms do not require CBFC certification. Instead, they are regulated by the MIB under Part III of the IT Rules 2021.
HT reached out to the makers of the film, but did not immediately receive any response.
