Overview
- The film, which premiered on ZEE5 on July 3 in an uncut form, was removed from the platform for Indian viewers within about 48 hours with ZEE5 saying it would remain unavailable in India until further notice.
- Officials and reporting say the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting told the streamer the release evaded the Central Board of Film Certification process, and the ministry has formed an interdepartmental committee to review the film and the takedown.
- Filmmakers say Satluj faced a multi‑year certification fight with the CBFC that escalated to demands for roughly 127 cuts, leading them to bypass a theatrical release and put the uncut film on OTT.
- Sikh institutions, political parties and local gurudwaras have organised coordinated public screenings across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Jammu while pirated copies and downloads spread rapidly online.
- Satluj tells the story of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, whose documentation of alleged secret cremations and subsequent murder led to police convictions, and the dispute highlights a broader clash over how sensitive historical episodes are regulated and remembered.