Union minister of state for railways and food processing industries Ravneet Singh Bittu on Sunday asked the makers of the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer film Satluj to conclusively establish the figure of “25,000 missing or illegally cremated bodies” with documentary evidence.
He said that if they are able to authenticate their claim, he would publicly tender an apology.
In a statement, Bittu said the filmmakers cannot hide behind the excuse of “creative freedom” while presenting disputed claims as established history. He said that Punjab’s painful past is not a script to be selectively edited to suit a narrative.
The Honey Trehan-directed film chronicles the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who investigated extrajudicial killings and the illegal cremations of unidentified bodies during Punjab’s militancy era in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Questioning the makers of the film over their narrative, Bittu also challenged them to place before the people of Punjab the complete documentary evidence, official records, judicial findings and authenticated data that conclusively establish the figure of 25,000 missing or illegally cremated bodies portrayed in the film.
“If this figure is based merely on an estimate or allegation, why has it been projected as an established historical fact? Why were viewers not informed that this number has not been conclusively established by any final judicial determination?” he asked.
{{/usCountry}}“If this figure is based merely on an estimate or allegation, why has it been projected as an established historical fact? Why were viewers not informed that this number has not been conclusively established by any final judicial determination?” he asked.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP leader further expressed concern over what he described as the film’s “selective portrayal of Punjab’s darkest chapter”. He questioned why the killings of innocent Hindus, bus passengers, shopkeepers, government employees, labourers and ordinary citizens by terrorists had not been depicted with the same intensity. He also said the sacrifices of Punjab Police personnel, security forces and countless brave citizens who fought terrorism had been underplayed while the suffering of thousands of families devastated by terrorist violence were virtually absent. Bittu said that no responsible filmmaker has the right to distort history by presenting contested figures as unquestionable truth.
Calling up the filmmakers to publicly release the documentary basis for the figure of 25,000 within a reasonable time, he warned if they fail to substantiate this claim, they should issue a clear public clarification stating that the figure is not an officially verified count.
Bittu added that all appropriate legal and constitutional remedies would be examined to prevent the misrepresentation of historical facts.
Why ban ‘Satluj’ if ‘Kashmir Files’, ‘Kerala Story’ can screen in India: Giani Harpreet
Expressing resentment over restrictions placed on the movie, Satluj, Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjeet) president Giani Harpreet Singh questioned the government’s stand, asking why a film depicting Sikh history faces restrictions when movies like The Kashmir Files and The Kerala Story are permitted to screen across the country.
Reacting to Bittu’s statement on Hindus, he said “it is an attempt to disturb the communal harmony of Punjab.”
“It has always been the history of Punjab that whenever governments ban something, the public rebels and pushes it forward. ‘Satluj’ is already being screened across villages, and a strong local movement is rising in response,” he said.
When asked about Bittu’s statements demanding proof regarding the 25,000 unidentified bodies cremated during Punjab’s militancy era, he said,
“Khalra had already provided evidence regarding those illegal cremations, and even the Supreme Court accepted those facts. Therefore, demanding proof at this stage is uncalled for.”
Giani Harpreet was in Dhuri to attend a religious ceremony.