How the ‘Satluj’ wave could shape Punjab politics
· Scroll
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As people flock to informal public screenings of Satluj across Punjab’s villages and towns, the film on Punjabi human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra has revived memories of the violent days of Khalistani militancy and the subsequent state crackdown.
But the movie does not just enable Punjab to have a conversation about its violent past. As political parties wade into the debate, the film may also shape the state’s political discourse ahead of Assembly elections, observers told Scroll.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre has effectively banned the film, the Akali Dal, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party and even the Congress, which was in power in 1995 when Khalra was killed, have criticised the takedown of the film. But it is the positioning of the Bharatiya Janata Party that has evoked the most interest.
The BJP’s balancing act
After four years of waiting for the Central Board of Film Certification to allow its release, Satluj quietly premiered on the Zee5 platform on July 3.
Honey’s Trehan’s biopic tells the story of Khalra, who investigated allegations of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances during the peak years of militancy in Punjab. In September 1995, Khalra was abducted by Punjab police officials and eventually killed. His body was never found. Several policemen were convicted for the crime.
Two days...