Who was Jaswant Singh Khalra, subject of Diljit Dosanjh’s unreleased film ‘Punjab ’95’?

This is the second film featuring the actor to have been withheld in India recently. Sardaarji 3, which also stars Pakistani actor Hania Aamir, was criticised for her participation in the project, given the informal ban on Pakistani actors in Indian films in recent years. While Sardaarji 3 has been released in Pakistan and a few other countries, reportedly earning Rs 11.03 crore globally within just two days, Punjab ’95 is yet to be released.

Here is what to know.

Who was Jaswant Singh Khalra?

Khalra hailed from Amritsar and was known for campaigning against the disappearance of thousands of Sikh youths during the Punjab militancy from the 1980s to the 1990s. Many were later found to have been killed in fake encounters.

The Cooperative Bank director-turned-human rights activist was also appointed as general secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal’s human rights wing, created especially to examine alleged cases of extra-judicial killings.

However, Khalra himself became a victim of one such forced disappearance. On September 6, 1995, he was kidnapped from his house, allegedly at the behest of the then-Punjab Police officials. The activist was allegedly tortured at the Jhabal police station before being shot dead, and his body was disposed of near the Harike Bridge on the Sutlej river.

Following a petition filed by Khalra’s widow, Paramjit Kaur, the Supreme Court in 1996 ordered that the case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A Patiala court in 2005 convicted six policemen of his murder. The verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2011. The same year, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) directed a high-level state committee to probe 657 militancy-era cases of official agencies cremating unclaimed bodies, an issue Khalra was looking into.

Today, Pramajit Kaur runs the Khalra Mission Organisation in his memory. Earlier this year, it was announced that a new elementary school in California, US, would be named after Khalra.

The film was produced with the Khalra family’s permission, which was sought around four years ago. After the CBFC proposed 120 cuts to the film, Paramjit said the film was made with the family’s consent and should be released without any cuts.

Dosanjh announced its international release on February 7, but the date was scrapped pending clearance. Punjab ’95 director Honey Trehan said in an interview that the film producers were forced to remove the movie from the Toronto Film Festival and stop its overseas release. He said he submitted documents totalling 1,800 pages to prove the factual accuracy of the film.

And what have been the political reactions?

So far, Punjabi politicians have not commented on Punjab ’95. This, even as the Congress party was in power at the Centre during the militancy, and has been criticised over the years for the excesses committed during that period. “That is also the reason why the Congress hasn’t spoken out in favour of Punjab ’95. It is surprising that BJP leadership is also silent on the undeclared ban on movie,” said film critic Harpreet Singh.

Notably, Dosanjh has also starred in other movies centred on the Punjab militancy. Punjab 1984 also included themes of human rights and faced no resistance during its release in 2014.

A decade later, the film Chamkila, based on the singer Amar Singh Chamkila, who was killed under mysterious circumstances, was also set around that period. Some Khalistan sympathisers criticised the film.

On the other hand, many leaders have supported Dosanjh on the subject of Sardaarji 3, amid criticism by the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE). The body earlier wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding immediate and strict action against the actor, including “cancellation of Dosanjh’s citizenship”.

BJP national spokesperson RP Singh wrote on X, “FWICE’s call to revoke his Indian citizenship over an inadvertent and pre-incident film shoot is not only unfair but shockingly disproportionate”. He called Dosanjh “a national asset and a global ambassador of Indian culture.” “The film featuring a Pakistani actress was shot before the Pahalgam attack. If there is anguish, it can be expressed through a boycott or by urging that the film not be screened in India,” he wrote.

Leaders of the Congress party, including Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa and Patiala Member of Parliament Dharamvir Gandhi, also voiced their support. Bajwa said, “Attacking our own talent, especially someone who has consistently showcased India’s rich cultural tapestry globally, is not just unfair, it is regressive.”