'Satluj Row Only Amplified Curiosity': Journalist Who Broke Khalra Murder Story
Journalist Satinder Bains, who originally broke the story of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra's murder, argues that the government's ban on the film 'Satluj' was counterproductive. He maintains that the film is largely accurate and that the controversy is being exploited for political gain.
Why it matters
The debate underscores the intersection of historical investigative journalism, government censorship, and political opportunism in Punjab.
As the controversy surrounding Satluj intensifies a week after its release, senior journalist Satinder Bains, whose reporting first exposed the abduction and killing of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, has said the Centre's decision to ban the film was a mistake that only fuelled public curiosity.Speaking to NDTV's Senior Executive Editor Aditya Raj Kaul, Bains said the film is largely faithful to the historical record and rejected allegations that it glorifies terrorism or promotes separatism. He also said the renewed debate surrounding Khalra's killing was now being politically leveraged by the Shiromani Akali Dal ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections.Satluj, which dramatises the extra-judicial killing of Jaswant Singh Khalra by Punjab Police in 1995, was banned by the government two days after its release.
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