Vinay Kumar
AMRITSAR: Despite the Centre banning the screening of Satluj in India, Sikh religious bodies and political organisations have begun publicly screening the film at gurdwaras and village grounds across Punjab and Delhi, saying it highlights a significant chapter of Punjab’s history.The jailed MP Amritpal Singh-led Akali Dal Waris Punjab De (ADWPD) has launched a statewide screening campaign. Party spokesperson Shamsher Singh Padhri said screenings have already been held in Baba Bakala, Bhikhiwind and parts of Gurdaspur using projectors and large LED screens in open grounds outside gurdwaras.“We will take the film to every corner of Punjab,” Padhri said, claiming the screenings have received an overwhelming response. He also criticised the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) for joining the campaign only now, saying they should have taken the lead earlier.Satluj is based on the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra and chronicles his investigation into the alleged illegal cremation of nearly 25,000 unidentified bodies during Punjab’s militancy period in the 1980s and 1990s. The film was released on an OTT platform outside India but remains banned in the country over concerns related to national security and public order.The SGPC began screening the film at two gurdwaras in Jalandhar on Wednesday, while the DSGMC announced that its first public screening will be held on Friday at Lakhi Shah Vanjara Hall in Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in New Delhi.DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka said the committee would expand screenings across Delhi based on public response. “Our objective is that the truth should not remain hidden but should reach the people,” he said.SGPC chief secretary Kulwant Singh Mannan said the apex Sikh body plans to organise screenings at gurdwaras across Punjab. “The first screenings have started in Jalandhar, and the film will subsequently be screened at other gurdwaras across the state,” he said.
