Captain Amarinder Singh Says Historical Events Should Not Be Used to Divide People

Former Punjab Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Captain Amarinder Singh has said that while history cannot be ignored, past events should not be used to create divisions among people in the present. In an interview, he alleged that Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu was unnecessarily reviving the issue by sharing photographs and videos of deceased clean-shaven individuals on social media. Commenting on the controversy surrounding the film 'Satluj', Captain Amarinder said historical events should be viewed in their complete context rather than from a one-sided perspective. He stated that while around 25,000 people lost their lives during the period of militancy, nearly 1,800 police personnel were also killed while combating terrorism. In addition, thousands of innocent civilians lost their lives. According to him, the truth about excesses committed by all sides should come before the public. He also said he did not know who was responsible for having the film removed. The former Chief Minister further said that screening the film across Punjab would not provide any political advantage to either the BJP or the Congress. However, he claimed that the Shiromani Akali Dal, Waris Punjab, and Akali Dal (Punar Surjeet) were hoping to gain politically from the issue. He added that public interest in the film increased only after it was removed from an OTT platform. Referring to human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, Captain Amarinder said Khalra was collecting evidence related to missing persons and there was nothing wrong with that work. He stressed that acknowledging history and learning from it is important, but warned that provoking the younger generation on the basis of past events could prove dangerous. He also said that despite the years of militancy, the Hindu and Sikh communities in Punjab remained united. Captain Amarinder also defended former Punjab Police chief K.P.S. Gill, stating that his contribution to ending militancy in Punjab should not be overlooked. Meanwhile, several political leaders also reacted to Ravneet Singh Bittu's remarks. Congress leader and MLA Pargat Singh accused Bittu of attempting to disturb peace in Punjab for political reasons. He said the timing of the film's release and the subsequent ban ahead of the Assembly elections had raised several questions. Congress MP Manish Tewari said that the unity between Hindus and Sikhs had protected Punjab during difficult times. He cautioned that anyone attempting to harm Punjab, Punjabis, or Punjabiyat would effectively be serving the interests of Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI. Former Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar described the issue raised by Bittu as sensitive and said he would comment only after examining all the facts. BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia also expressed reservations over Bittu's remarks, stating that even during the years of militancy and the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, Punjab did not witness communal riots.