Centre to refer Diljit Dosanjh starrer Satluj to committee for review after OTT takedown

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New Delhi, July 8

The Centre will refer Diljit Dosanjh starrer Satluj to the Inter Departmental Committee constituted under the Information Technology Rules, 2021, for detailed examination and further action, government sources said on Tuesday. The decision comes two days after streaming platform ZEE5 was directed to remove the film over security concerns.

The film, earlier titled Punjab 95, is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and portrays events in Punjab during the militancy affected period of the 1990s. After remaining pending for certification for more than three years, the film was released on ZEE5 without cuts under the new title Satluj on July 3 before being taken down on July 5.

According to government sources, the Inter Departmental Committee will examine the matter under the Information Technology Rules, 2021. The committee is tasked with reviewing grievances related to content published on OTT platforms and digital news publishers and making recommendations to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

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, along with experts nominated by the government. It is empowered to recommend measures including warnings, disclaimers, content modification, reclassification or blocking of content under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.

Government sources said ZEE5 was directed to remove the film after it came to the notice of authorities that the movie had been released on the platform under a new title without incorporating the cuts suggested by the Central Board of Film Certification during the certification process for its proposed theatrical release in 2022. They said the action was taken due to security concerns and in accordance with the obligations prescribed for intermediaries under the Information Technology Rules.

Directed by Honey Trehan, the film is based on the life of Jaswant Singh Khalra, who investigated the cremation of thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab between 1984 and 1994. Khalra was abducted in 1995 and was later found to have been murdered. In 2005, four Punjab Police personnel were convicted in the case, and their sentences were subsequently enhanced to life imprisonment by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.