Satluj: The Powerful Last Speech Of Jaswant Singh Khalra That Inspired Diljit Dosanjh’s Film

The conversation around Satluj has gone far beyond cinema. Days after the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer disappeared from ZEE5 in India, many have turned their attention to the remarkable life of the man who inspired the film, human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. Among the many memories being shared online, one speech from 1995 is now going viral.

Why Is Satluj Back In The Spotlight?

Directed by Honey Trehan and starring Diljit Dosanjh as Jaswant Singh Khalra, Satluj premiered on ZEE5 on July 3, 2026. However, less than two days later, the film was removed from the streaming platform in India.

The project, originally titled Punjab 95, had already spent nearly four years awaiting certification from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

Unable to secure a release under its original title, the makers eventually released it on OTT as Satluj.

The film tells the story of Jaswant Singh Khalra, the human rights activist who investigated allegations of thousands of extra-judicial killings and disappearances in Punjab during the years of militancy. Months after exposing his findings, Khalra himself disappeared in September 1995 and was believed to have been killed soon after.

Also Read: Why Is Satluj Removed From ZEE5? What Is The Controversy Surrounding Diljit Dosanjh’s Film?

The Speech That Lives On

In the months leading up to his disappearance, Khalra addressed several public gatherings to speak about his investigation. One of his most remembered speeches came during a visit to Canada in April 1995, where he appealed for justice and called for answers from Indian authorities.

That speech has resurfaced on social media after Satluj’s release and removal. Parts of it were also recreated in the film, where Diljit Dosanjh’s character repeats Khalra’s words while appealing to another character’s sense of humanity.

‘I Challenge The Darkness’

Using the metaphor of a single lamp standing against darkness, Khalra urged people not to lose hope.

“There is a fable that when the sun was setting for the first time, light was decreasing as it was completing its journey. Light was decreasing and the signs of darkness were appearing. It is said that people were scared that the sun will set, darkness will spread and no one will be able to see anything. What will happen to us? Everyone in the world was worried. The sun set. And in an attempt to show its strength, darkness found its foot on earth, but it is said that somewhere far away, in a hut, there was one lamp which was lighting,” he said.

Also Read: How Did Diljit Dosanjh’s Satluj Release On ZEE5 Without CBFC Clearance? Explained

He continued, “That lamp said, ‘I challenge the darkness. If nothing else, then at least, I will not allow it to settle around me. I will have light around me’. And it is said that after looking at the strength of that lamp, every other hut lit a lamp, and the world was amazed to see how the lamps stopped the darkness from spreading its wings, so people could see clearly.”

Drawing a comparison with Punjab’s situation, Khalra added, “I believe, today, when darkness is trying with all its strength to suppress the truth, then if nothing else, self-respecting Punjab, like a lamp, is challenging this darkness. I pray that the almighty bless this light and keep it lit.”

Families Were Afraid To Speak

Khalra explained that one of the biggest challenges in documenting disappearances was convincing families to come forward. He said he had travelled to Canada to speak about the hardships faced by Punjab and the Sikh community since Operation Bluestar in 1984.

He recalled that he and his colleagues had approached authorities to find out what had happened to thousands of missing people, but received no clear answers.

“Our question was, thousands of mothers are waiting for their sons even though they know that their sons are not alive anymore, but a mother’s heart is such that even if she sees her son’s dead body she won’t accept that her son is no more. And those mothers who have not even seen the corpses of their sons, they are asking us: at least find out, is he even alive or not?”

According to Khalra, many grieving families were initially reluctant to even acknowledge that their loved ones had disappeared.

“When we started talking about it, many mothers and sisters weren’t ready to say that they are missing. They would say, ‘Son, if you keep talking about it and if our son is still alive, they will kill him. Don’t talk about it. We are not even going to tell you about it’.”

What Khalra Claimed To Have Found

Khalra said his early investigation pointed to at least 2,000 missing people in Amritsar district alone. Despite approaching officials and later the High Court with affected families, he said authorities maintained they had no information about their whereabouts.

He also referred to then Director General of Police KPS Gill’s public statements.

“When the issue progressed, KPS Gill, in a press conference in Amritsar, said, ‘These human rights folks, they are not doing anything for human rights. They have an agenda so there is no peace in Punjab. They are ISI agents and they are hatching a conspiracy to discourage the police machinery so militancy returns.’ He even went on to say, ‘I will tell you where those kids are’. He said, ‘These kids are daily wage workers in America, Europe and Canada’.”

Khalra said his investigation eventually led him to municipal cremation grounds, where records of unidentified bodies had been maintained. According to him, those records also included details of police personnel who had brought the bodies.

“We found the full account of our disappeared brothers,” he said.

‘6,017 Unclaimed Dead Bodies’

Speaking about what he described as one of his biggest discoveries, Khalra said official records at three municipal cremation grounds in Amritsar documented thousands of unidentified bodies.

“It is said that when one gets too arrogant, we say that he has forgotten about god, and he does things that he doesn’t even realise have the potential to expose him. Or how we say in simple words, that a thief will always leave a trace. These thieves left so many traces that we were amazed to find that just in three municipal cremation grounds of Amritsar district, 6017 unclaimed dead bodies were clearly recorded as the dead bodies of Sikh men between the ages of 15-35.”

He added that women and elderly people were also among those whose bodies had been brought to the cremation grounds. Calling it a failure of justice, Khalra said, “A mockery has been made of the law, of our community and those people who ask for nothing but a death certificate.”

He also vowed to continue pursuing legal remedies. “This is not an issue of those families; this is the issue for a community, humanity’s issue,” he said.

What Happened To Jaswant Singh Khalra?

Just months after delivering the speech, Khalra was abducted outside his home in September 1995. Satluj depicts him being taken away by police officials, held captive, tortured and later killed. In reality, Khalra disappeared after his abduction, and his body has never been recovered.

Why Was Satluj Removed From ZEE5?

The controversy surrounding Satluj intensified after it was taken down from ZEE5 India on July 5, just two days after its release. According to the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the film was released without completing the required certification process.

“Satluj did not have the required certification for a theatrical release. Instead of complying with the certification process, the makers changed the film’s title and released it on an OTT platform on Friday,” an official from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry told news agency ANI.

The Centre has also cited national security concerns. According to ETimes, officials reportedly believed the film’s content could have implications for public order and security, leading to its removal shortly after release.

Originally developed as Punjab 95, the film is based on Jaswant Singh Khalra’s investigation into alleged extra-judicial killings and disappearances during Punjab’s militancy period. The project reportedly remained delayed for years after the CBFC sought multiple cuts before certification. Instead of accepting those changes, the makers eventually released it directly on OTT under the new title Satluj.

For now, Satluj remains unavailable for streaming in India.