Cop Who Blew Whistle on Jaswant Singh Khalra’s Torture Was Later Murdered: Satinder Bains

Veteran journalist Satinder Bains has said that watching “Satluj,” the film formerly titled “Panjab 95,” brought back memories of his reporting on the torture and death of Sikh human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra nearly three decades ago. Bains, who was a young reporter with The Indian Express when he covered the case, said the investigation became one of the most significant stories of his career and exposed disturbing details surrounding Khalra’s disappearance and death.

The Honey Trehan-directed film, starring Diljit Dosanjh as Khalra, is inspired by the life and work of the human rights activist. Bains watched the film in Canada, where he is now based, and later shared his observations in a video posted on Facebook. He praised the film for remaining largely faithful to the events he had reported in 1996, while also pointing out several differences between the cinematic version and the historical record.

According to Bains, a police officer played a crucial role in revealing information about Khalra’s alleged torture and death. The journalist said the officer had effectively blown the whistle on what had happened, providing vital information that helped bring the case into public view. The revelation became an important part of the wider investigation into Khalra’s fate and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.

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Bains further revealed that the whistleblower police officer later went missing and was eventually found murdered. His account adds another disturbing dimension to the history surrounding the Khalra case and the risks faced by those who attempted to reveal information connected to it. The journalist’s recollections have renewed attention on the people who played crucial roles in bringing details of the case to light.

Khalra became widely known for investigating alleged disappearances and unidentified cremations in Punjab during a period of militancy and counter-insurgency. His work focused on documenting cases involving people who had allegedly disappeared and whose bodies were reportedly cremated without identification. His own disappearance and death later became one of the most prominent human rights cases associated with that period in Punjab’s history.

“Satluj” has brought the story back into public discussion decades after Bains first reported on the case. The film is no longer available on streaming platforms in India but continues to be accessible overseas. For Bains, watching the events portrayed on screen was a reminder of the investigation that shaped his career, while his account of the whistleblower officer has highlighted another tragic chapter connected to the case.

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