Amritsar, July 8 -- Akal Takht acting jathedar Kuldeep Singh Gargaj on Tuesday condemned the decision to block the screening of the film, Satluj, in India, calling the move a direct assault on freedom of expression and an attempt to suppress historical truth. "At a time when the world upholds freedom of expression and places significant emphasis on the protection of human rights, preventing the truth about the atrocities committed against the Sikh minority in India from reaching the citizens in the country and the global community is an unconstitutional and unjust act," Giani Gargaj said in Amritsar. The acting jathedar urged the government to display statesmanship by allowing Satluj to be screened, arguing that running from historical accountability is futile as the judiciary has already verified these crimes. Directed by Honey Trehan, the actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh-starrer had faced over three years of delays and a standoff with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC)-which had recommended nearly 100 cuts-before it was quietly released uncut as Satluj on the OTT platform ZEE5 last Friday. However, the film was abruptly taken down on Sunday night. The biographical drama chronicles the life of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who uncovered records of extra-judicial killings and the secret cremation of thousands of unidentified Sikh youths by Punjab Police during the militancy era of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Khalra himself was abducted, tortured and murdered at the behest of police officials in 1995, and his body was disposed of in the Sutlej river-a landmark case that eventually led to the conviction and sentencing of Punjab Police officers by a CBI court in Mohali. While ZEE5 confirmed in an official statement that the film will remain unavailable in India until further notice while they explore options to bring it back, officials from the ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) alleged that the makers bypassed regulation. Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) organised a protest march in Khalra village of Tarn Taran district, while demanding the release of the film. The protest was led by Tarsem Singh, father of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh. A memorandum addressed to the Punjab governor was submitted through the Tarn Taran deputy commissioner. BJP leader and former IAS officer Jagmohan Singh Raju wrote a letter to Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria, seeking the setting up of a Punjab Truth, Accountability and Reconciliation Commission. "Until the truth is brought to light through a credible process, the wounds will not heal," he said. Hailing the central government for constituting a three-member review committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the film's removal, Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon said the move came after he took up the matter with the government....