India blocks film on activist who investigated Punjab insurgency killings

India's censor board and government have prevented the release of "Satluj," a biopic about human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who was killed in 1995 after alleging police had secretly cremated thousands of disappeared people.

• India's censor board blocked the film for three years before ordering a name change and nearly 130 cuts, which the filmmakers refused.
• The film was released on the ZEE5 streaming platform on July 3 and removed 48 hours later on security grounds.
• A government committee upheld the ban, concluding that the film "goes against India's sovereignty," according to the Press Trust of India.
• Sikh groups and activists have organized community screenings in Punjab, London, New York, and Toronto, while viewers are uploading the film to social media platforms.