Punjab deserves whole truth: Ravneet Bittu breaks silence over Satluj OTT takedown amid AAP allegations

PTC News Desk: Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, has responded to the controversy over "Satluj", the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer that was removed from ZEE5. The Punjab government had alleged that Bittu played a role in getting the film taken down.

In an interview with The Tribune, Bittu did not directly respond to the allegation but defended his grandfather's legacy. He said the film presents only one side of Punjab's militancy period and does not fully show the violence carried out by militant groups.

“Punjab deserves the whole truth, not half the story,” Bittu said.

Bittu said the movie focuses on the disappearance and killing of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra but ignores important questions. He asked that if the government was suppressing dissent, as shown in the film, then how was Khalra able to continue his work and travel abroad during Beant Singh's tenure. He said this question also deserves an honest answer.

The Union Minister stressed that militancy should not be linked to any religion or community. He said violence has no religion and pointed out that militants targeted police personnel, government officials, elected representatives and many innocent civilians. According to him, all victims of that period should be remembered, not just a few.

Bittu also said Beant Singh took charge when Punjab was facing years of violence, and his government's first priority was to restore peace and normal life. He added that his grandfather's role should be judged by considering the difficult situation at the time.

He further said the government worked not only on security but also on strengthening democracy by holding panchayat and local body elections to return power to the people.