The disappearance and death of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who documented the alleged illegal cremation of approximately 25,000 people in Punjab, has returned to public discourse following the removal of his biopic, Satluj, from an OTT platform. Navkiran Kaur Khalra, the activist’s daughter, maintains that her father’s work continues to challenge state systems three decades after his 1995 abduction by Punjab police.
The Case of Jaswant Singh Khalra
On September 6, 1995, Jaswant Singh Khalra was abducted by police in Punjab. At the time, he was actively investigating thousands of “unclaimed” bodies that had been secretly cremated during the state’s militancy years. According to his daughter, Navkiran Kaur Khalra, her father had been documenting these incidents for some time, even showing his family photographs of bodies being removed from trucks. After he was taken, his wife, Paramjit Kaur, moved the Supreme Court, providing the investigation records that eventually formed the basis for a CBI probe. In 2011, the Supreme Court upheld life imprisonment sentences for five policemen involved in his abduction and custodial murder, which occurred after weeks of torture.
Biopic Controversy and Public Discourse
The film Satluj, directed by Honey Trehan, was removed from its streaming platform shortly after release. Navkiran Kaur Khalra stated in an interview with The Indian Express that her family anticipated resistance to the project, noting that her father’s story has “haunted the system since 1995.” While the film is no longer available on the OTT platform, community screenings have persisted across Punjab. Navkiran emphasized that the film is based on court records and documented evidence, rejecting claims that it presents a biased narrative. She argued that attempts to frame the work through a Hindu-Sikh binary are intended to divert attention from the core human rights issues her father raised.
Political Stance and Demands for Accountability
With Punjab approaching another election, political parties have adopted varying positions regarding the film and the history it depicts. Navkiran Kaur Khalra stated that her family does not expect support from political entities, including the BJP, Congress, SAD, or AAP, noting that the legal battle for her father’s case spanned 16 years regardless of which party held power. She suggested that if political leaders are truly concerned with the history of the period, they should support an independent “death census” to establish an accurate, evidence-based record of the casualties from those years. She maintains that recognizing the loss of life during that era, regardless of community, remains the primary challenge to achieving an honest historical account.
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