Chandigarh, July 12: Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu has challenged the producers and directors of the upcoming film Satluj, demanding the immediate release of documentary evidence to support their claims regarding casualties during the Punjab militancy era. The film asserts that 25 thousand people went missing or were illegally cremated, a figure the minister claims lacks official validation.
The central minister stated that the production must either back up its claims with verified records or openly admit to the public that the figures are unverified. If the filmmakers fail to present the necessary documentation, the administration intends to explore all available constitutional and legal avenues to prevent the distortion of historical facts.
The minister expressed concern over the way the sensitive historical period is depicted, noting that the narrative lacks balance and relies heavily on unconfirmed estimates rather than established legal findings.
“If this figure is just an estimate or based on allegations, then why was this film presented as an indisputable historical truth?” Ravneet Singh Bittu questioned during a public address. “Why was the audience not told that this number has not been confirmed by any final judicial decision?”
The narrative presented in the project overlooks significant historical context regarding the victims of the conflict. The minister pointed out that the production fails to depict the thousands of innocent civilians, including bus passengers, shopkeepers, government employees, and labourers, who lost their lives during the period of terrorism.
“The history of Punjab’s terrorism era has been presented in a one-sided manner,” the Union Minister asserted. “If they fail to prove their claim with evidence, then they should admit in front of the people of Punjab that this number is not officially verified.”
