New Delhi: A committee set up by the Union Government to examine the content of the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj has reportedly recommended that the ban on public access to the film through online streaming platforms should continue, as it allegedly goes against the nation's sovereignty and integrity, government sources said on Saturday.
Directed by Honey Trehan, Satluj depicts the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who investigated the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab between 1984 and 1994 and was abducted and murdered by the Punjab Police in 1995.
The film was removed 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.
Subsequently, the ministry constituted an Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, to conduct a detailed examination of the film and recommend the future course of action.
The issue has since turned political in Punjab, with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) demanding that the ban be lifted and the Shiromani Akali Dal announcing plans to screen the film across the state.
How was the ban justified?
Sources said the committee concluded that the decision to block the film under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act was justified.
Section 69A empowers the government to block online content on grounds including India's sovereignty and integrity, the defence and security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states, and public order.
The committee comprises representatives from the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting, Home Affairs, Electronics and Information Technology, Women and Child Development, External Affairs, Defence, and Law and Justice, among others.
According to the sources, the committee observed that the film presents an unbalanced narrative by allegedly whitewashing the actions of militants while highlighting the excesses committed by the security forces in Punjab during the years of militancy.
Part III of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, empowers the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to invoke Section 69A of the Information Technology Act through a mechanism designed to oversee OTT content that does not fall within the purview of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).