How India's blocking of a film exposing real-life police abuses backfired
AMRITSAR, India —
asserted
blocking → expose → abuses
On a muggy monsoon evening, farmers in the northern Indian village of Bandala finished tending to their rice and sugarcane crop and flocked to the local Sikh temple.
asserted
farmers → finish → temple
They settled in plastic chairs, women to the front, men to the back, as volunteers served strawberry juice in plastic cups and kids bustled around, happy to have an excuse to stay up late.
asserted
kids → settle → excuse
They were gathered for an unlikely event: the screening of a film that was never granted a theatrical release certificate by Indian censors, and pulled from a streaming platform a day after its release online.
asserted
that → gather → release
The Indian government has not revealed their reasons for the blocking.
asserted
government → reveal → blocking
India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting did not reply to NPR's interview requests.
asserted
Ministry → reply → requests
They advertised the movie, titled "Satluj," as based on real-life events that addressed the history and identity of Sikhs, a religious minority within India numbering more than 20 million people and forming a majority in the northern state of Punjab.
asserted
that → advertise → Punjab
"Satluj" is a biopic of Jaswant Singh Khalra, an activist who was killed after uncovering extra-judicial killings carried out by security forces, primarily the Punjab police.
asserted
who → kill → forces
This occurred after the separatist movement turned violent in 1984, when the Indian army stormed and damaged the Golden Temple, one of the holiest shrines for Sikhs, during a gunfight with militants that had sought refuge there.
asserted
that → occur → refuge
The following decade witnessed several killings of civilians, militants and state-officials, including the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguard.
asserted
decade → follow → bodyguard
Ordinarily, "Satluj" would have joined the long list of films that the Indian government has blocked, or forced directors to tone down in recent years.
asserted
government → join → years
But the ostensible banning of "Satluj" triggered something else: rare defiance against the Hindu nationalist government of prime minister Narendra Modi.
asserted
banning → trigger → Modi
In cities and villages across Punjab, Sikh leaders urged their community to watch it.
asserted
leaders → urge → it
In its spiritual capital Amritsar, activists and political parties staged rallies opposing the ban.
asserted
activists → stag → ban
Many organized screenings in Sikh temple courtyards and public streets.
asserted
Many → organize → courtyards
Others downloaded bootleg copies and shared them on WhatsApp and YouTube.
asserted
Others → download → WhatsApp
Such pushback against the state's diktats is quite unusual, says Sanjay Srivastava, a sociologist at SOAS University of London.
asserted
Srivastava → say → London
"It does reflect a genuine feeling on the ground that the issues covered in the film have not been entirely resolved," he says.
asserted
he → reflect → film
The militant movement for a Sikh state
"Satluj" is set during the '90s, a few years after a Sikh separatist movement had turned militant.
asserted
movement → set → 90s
Thousands of Sikhs died in clashes and gunfights with Indian security forces.
asserted
Thousands → die → forces
Many fled to countries like the U.S. and Canada and sought asylum.
asserted
Many → flee → asylum
Sarabjit Singh Verka, a lawyer with the nonprofit Punjab Human Rights Organisation in Amritsar, has represented many victims of the violence.
asserted
Verka → represent → violence
He says Indian authorities back then were desperate to end the violence.
asserted
authorities → say → violence
"Some police officers on trial confessed to me in private that they were allowed to kill militants who had killed two or more people," says Verka.
asserted
Verka → confess → people
"The police called the policy 'bullet for bullet'."
asserted
police → call → bullet
This carte blanche, Verka says, started because civilians were often too scared to testify against militants in the court, which allowed many to go free.
asserted
many → say → court
"But some officers turned this into an extortion racket.
asserted
officers → turn → racket
They would kidnap young men and demand ransom from their families.
asserted
They → kidnap → families
Some also staged shootouts and cremated bodies to cover up the evidence."
asserted
Some → stag → evidence
Amid this violence in the 1990s, Amritsar resident Jaswant Singh Khalra quit his job at a local bank to document such killings.
asserted
Khalra → quit → killings
In "Satluj," one of India's top stars, Diljit Dosanjh, plays his role.
asserted
one → play → role
Using municipal and crematorium records, Khalra compiled a list of around 2,000 youths that he claimed the police had killed in his home district of Amritsar.
asserted
police → use → Amritsar
He then approached the Punjab High Court and the Supreme Court, claiming the toll across the state of Punjab could be up to 25,000.
uncertain
toll → approach → Punjab
Human rights lawyer Verka says that number is likely an exaggeration.
asserted
number → say → ?
"The government should've nevertheless set up a truth and reconciliation commission to ascertain the truth.
asserted
government → set → truth
They didn't."
asserted
They → do → ?
In 1995, a few months after he made the allegations, Khalra disappeared from his home.
asserted
Khalra → make → home
His body was never found.
asserted
body → find → ?
A decade later, an Indian trial court convicted six police officers for his abduction and murder.
asserted
court → convict → abduction
"And while the government compensated some victims, most perpetrators got away," adds Verka.
asserted
Verka → compensate → victims
…and 36 more, not listed.
