Brother reached home, thousands didn't: Punjabis recall dark past amid Satluj row
Diljit Dosanjh's Satluj may have been taken off OTT, but it has prompted Punjabis to recount memories of militancy, police action and disappearances. The harrowing recollections are as haunting as the film itself.
Ducking bullets on campus, blood-stained roads, people vanishing without a trace. Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj, which delves into the period of violent militancy in Punjab and counter-insurgency operations, seems to have opened old wounds in Punjab. While the film was taken down within two days of its OTT release, several Punjabis from all walks of life have shared personal memories from one of Punjab's most violent periods.
Originally titled Punjab '95, the film reached audiences after a wait of four years. It chronicles the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. Khalra was abducted while he was investigating enforced disappearances and secret cremations in Punjab at the peak of insurgency. His body was never found. The film has divided the public, triggering a wider debate on police excesses and arbitrary arrests. Yet, others contend that tough measures were needed to end the insurgency. Satluj explores this dual reality.
PUNJABIS RECALL THE HORROR
Many in Punjab lived through those years with stories they have kept buried ever since. Some recalled how the sound of gunfire would erupt without warning. Others said returning home safely at night was a challenge in itself. Satluj has now become a trigger for Punjabis to revisit those memories that haunt them still.
Among those who have spoken out is Harmeen Soch, a teacher. Harmeen recalled growing up inside the campus of Khalsa College in Amritsar, where her father was a principal.
"We were privy to extremism up close... with murders occurring every other day on campus. Huddling in one room when firing would begin to coming out to blood-laden roads after it stopped was common for us," Harmeen said.
The period mentioned by Harmeen was from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s - the most turbulent in Punjab's history when Sikh militants pushed for an independent state of Khalistan.
Her most haunting memory, however, was the day her brother and his friend were allegedly picked up outside their study centre by the police. She recalled her father's frantic rush on his scooter and her mother's inconsolable tears. "We knew we may never see him again. We knew if we were lucky, we may get to see the dead body," she said.
According to Harmeen, her brother's quick thinking saved him. "He kept saying to them that he is the son of the principal of Khalsa College and took names of high-ups, like the Amritsar DC and SSP," she said.
It was only then that the boys were released in a nearby field. "He reached home," she wrote. "Thousands and lakhs didn't."
Actor Gul Panag also recalled growing up in Punjab during the years of militancy. Panag, whose father was a lieutenant general in the Army, underlined how newspapers used to be filled with reports of buses being stopped, passengers being separated and killed, alongside stories of young men being allegedly detained and tortured.
"Those memories are precisely why I don't believe we should become so uncomfortable with difficult chapters of our history that we stop telling stories about them," Panag tweeted.
CAMPUS VIOLENCE, BSF NAKAS
During that period, educational institutions were recruiting grounds for militant leaders. Journalist and author Man Aman Singh Chhina said the sound of bullets and CRPF patrolling the corridors of Khalsa College were a frequent sight.
"The firing exchanges on the campus, ducking in our classes to miss any flying bullets, CRPF patrolling the college corridors, occupying students' hostels... The harassment at BSF nakas, the questioning at Khalistani checkpoints in Ajnala. The fear," he said.
November 10, 1989, will forever be etched in the history of Patiala's Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET) in Patiala. That fateful day, militants armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the college and opened fire on students who came to attend the annual youth festival.
"22 innocent students... were brutally shot dead past midnight in their rooms. 11 of them were my college mates and friends," recalled prominent business leader K Sudarshan.
It was, in fact, due to such sheer scale of violence unleashed by the militants that the police and paramilitary personnel had to launch a brutal crackdown.
For Sena Medal awardee Colonel Danvir Singh (retd), the 14 hours he spent in police lock-up were the most harrowing time in his life. Singh was detained by police while he was returning home on a scooter after late-night studies. Police suspected he had links with separatist leader Jagjit Singh Chauhan.
"I was kept in a lock-up for 14 odd hours. I was released only after my father intervened," Singh tweeted.
"Not many were as lucky as I was. Not all had their dads highly placed. The majority was anonymous and in the no man's land," he further said.
One of the poignant recollections came from an X user who posts from the handle 'Saint Soldier Wisdom'. The user recalled an incident from 1987-88 involving his aunt, who was then pursuing an MSc from Punjabi University.
His aunt was returning to Patiala on a university bus when the police allegedly stopped the vehicle. "The policemen entered the bus and took four guys in Sikhi saroop (turbans and full beards) out with them," the user said.
Despite months of searches in police stations and jails across districts, the four students were not found. "These four guys were never seen again," he recounted.
All these stories have a common thread - fear, uncertainty and emotional scars left on families in Punjab during one of the state's darkest chapters. Diljit Dosanjh's Satluj appears to have brought into spotlight several such untold, harrowing stories of ordinary Punjabis from that period.
Ducking bullets on campus, blood-stained roads, people vanishing without a trace. Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj, which delves into the period of violent militancy in Punjab and counter-insurgency operations, seems to have opened old wounds in Punjab. While the film was taken down within two days of its OTT release, several Punjabis from all walks of life have shared personal memories from one of Punjab's most violent periods.
Originally titled Punjab '95, the film reached audiences after a wait of four years. It chronicles the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. Khalra was abducted while he was investigating enforced disappearances and secret cremations in Punjab at the peak of insurgency. His body was never found. The film has divided the public, triggering a wider debate on police excesses and arbitrary arrests. Yet, others contend that tough measures were needed to end the insurgency. Satluj explores this dual reality.
PUNJABIS RECALL THE HORROR
Many in Punjab lived through those years with stories they have kept buried ever since. Some recalled how the sound of gunfire would erupt without warning. Others said returning home safely at night was a challenge in itself. Satluj has now become a trigger for Punjabis to revisit those memories that haunt them still.
Among those who have spoken out is Harmeen Soch, a teacher. Harmeen recalled growing up inside the campus of Khalsa College in Amritsar, where her father was a principal.
"We were privy to extremism up close... with murders occurring every other day on campus. Huddling in one room when firing would begin to coming out to blood-laden roads after it stopped was common for us," Harmeen said.
The period mentioned by Harmeen was from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s - the most turbulent in Punjab's history when Sikh militants pushed for an independent state of Khalistan.
Her most haunting memory, however, was the day her brother and his friend were allegedly picked up outside their study centre by the police. She recalled her father's frantic rush on his scooter and her mother's inconsolable tears. "We knew we may never see him again. We knew if we were lucky, we may get to see the dead body," she said.
According to Harmeen, her brother's quick thinking saved him. "He kept saying to them that he is the son of the principal of Khalsa College and took names of high-ups, like the Amritsar DC and SSP," she said.
It was only then that the boys were released in a nearby field. "He reached home," she wrote. "Thousands and lakhs didn't."
Actor Gul Panag also recalled growing up in Punjab during the years of militancy. Panag, whose father was a lieutenant general in the Army, underlined how newspapers used to be filled with reports of buses being stopped, passengers being separated and killed, alongside stories of young men being allegedly detained and tortured.
"Those memories are precisely why I don't believe we should become so uncomfortable with difficult chapters of our history that we stop telling stories about them," Panag tweeted.
CAMPUS VIOLENCE, BSF NAKAS
During that period, educational institutions were recruiting grounds for militant leaders. Journalist and author Man Aman Singh Chhina said the sound of bullets and CRPF patrolling the corridors of Khalsa College were a frequent sight.
"The firing exchanges on the campus, ducking in our classes to miss any flying bullets, CRPF patrolling the college corridors, occupying students' hostels... The harassment at BSF nakas, the questioning at Khalistani checkpoints in Ajnala. The fear," he said.
November 10, 1989, will forever be etched in the history of Patiala's Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET) in Patiala. That fateful day, militants armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the college and opened fire on students who came to attend the annual youth festival.
"22 innocent students... were brutally shot dead past midnight in their rooms. 11 of them were my college mates and friends," recalled prominent business leader K Sudarshan.
It was, in fact, due to such sheer scale of violence unleashed by the militants that the police and paramilitary personnel had to launch a brutal crackdown.
For Sena Medal awardee Colonel Danvir Singh (retd), the 14 hours he spent in police lock-up were the most harrowing time in his life. Singh was detained by police while he was returning home on a scooter after late-night studies. Police suspected he had links with separatist leader Jagjit Singh Chauhan.
"I was kept in a lock-up for 14 odd hours. I was released only after my father intervened," Singh tweeted.
"Not many were as lucky as I was. Not all had their dads highly placed. The majority was anonymous and in the no man's land," he further said.
One of the poignant recollections came from an X user who posts from the handle 'Saint Soldier Wisdom'. The user recalled an incident from 1987-88 involving his aunt, who was then pursuing an MSc from Punjabi University.
His aunt was returning to Patiala on a university bus when the police allegedly stopped the vehicle. "The policemen entered the bus and took four guys in Sikhi saroop (turbans and full beards) out with them," the user said.
Despite months of searches in police stations and jails across districts, the four students were not found. "These four guys were never seen again," he recounted.
All these stories have a common thread - fear, uncertainty and emotional scars left on families in Punjab during one of the state's darkest chapters. Diljit Dosanjh's Satluj appears to have brought into spotlight several such untold, harrowing stories of ordinary Punjabis from that period.
