Chandigarh, July 12: Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu has called on the creators of the film Satluj to publicly produce documentary evidence verifying the claims made in their production. The dispute centers on the film’s depiction of 25 thousand individuals as missing or illegally cremated during the period of militancy in Punjab.
The minister warned that if the filmmakers cannot substantiate the specific data presented in the movie, they must issue a formal clarification to the public. A failure to address these factual discrepancies will prompt a review of all legal and constitutional options to protect the integrity of historical records.
The critique focuses on the film presenting contested figures as absolute historical facts without informing the audience that the numbers have never been validated by a court of law. The minister maintained that the script completely ignores the diverse groups of citizens who suffered casualties during the decades of unrest.
“The producers and directors of the film should make public the documentary evidence of the figure of 25 thousand missing people,” Ravneet Singh Bittu declared. “During the terrorism, innocent Hindus, bus passengers, shopkeepers, government employees and laborers were killed but they were not depicted in the film.”
The ministry urged for a more balanced historical representation that acknowledges all sides of the tragedy rather than relying on unconfirmed estimates.
“We will consider all constitutional and legal options so that historical facts are not misrepresented,” the Union Minister affirmed. “Why was the audience not told that this number has not been confirmed by any final judicial decision?”
