Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal. File
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday (July 6, 2026) condemned the removal of Diljit Dosanjh’s long-delayed film “Satluj” from an OTT platform, saying Punjab deserves to confront its past with honesty, not suppression.
Diljit Dosanjh’s film Satlujhas been removed from ZEE5 two days after its release on the streaming platform. Directed by Honey Trehan, the film was earlier titled Punjab 95 and faced a long battle with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Diljit Dosanjh unsurprised by ‘Satluj’ removal from Zee5, says was ‘bound to happen’
Mr. Badal said he was shocked and saddened by the “arbitrary removal of Satluj from #ZEE5 in India”, adding that removal of the film is not “mere censorship, it is an assault on our collective memory, truth, and freedom of expression.”
“I strongly condemn this move. Punjab deserves to confront its past with honesty, not suppression,” Mr. Badal said in a post on X.
“A powerful film that courageously unveils Punjab’s painful history and honours the supreme sacrifice of S. Jaswant Singh Ji Khalra cannot be silenced this way,” Mr. Badal said.
ZEE5 issued a statement and made the announcement on Sunday (July 5, 2026). It read, “The response to Satluj since its release has been truly overwhelming. We are deeply grateful to every viewer who chose to subscribe, watch and champion the film. Your love and support have meant a great deal to us and to everyone who brought this story to life.”
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The streamer added that they firmly stand by Satluj and the vision behind it. “We believe powerful storytelling has the ability to inspire, endure and leave a lasting impact. We remain committed to championing authentic and meaningful narratives.”
They captioned the post on social media by saying, “Satluj may have paused. But the conversation it started hasn’t. Thank you for the incredible love. We hope to bring it back soon.”
Satluj (originally titled Panjab 95) chronicles the true-life crusade of social activist Jaswant Singh Khalra (Diljit Dosanjh), who risked his life to uncover thousands of secrets behind the state-sanctioned extrajudicial cremations in the 1990s when Punjab was on the boil.
Shocked and saddened by the arbitrary removal of #Satluj from #ZEE5 in India.
A powerful film that courageously unveils Punjab’s painful history and honours the supreme sacrifice of S. Jaswant Singh Ji Khalra cannot be silenced this way.
This is not mere censorship — it is an… pic.twitter.com/yfrkMKYq5D
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) July 5, 2026
Published – July 06, 2026 11:51 am IST
