There has been a rare bout of controversy within the Punjab BJP over the scornful comments Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu made on a movie titled Satluj and its allegations about the militancy period in Punjab.
The controversy erupted after Bittu raised a question on the central claim that the film made, that approximately 25,000 bodies were sent to some secret crematorium for cremation during the height of militancy in Punjab. He fired direct fire at claim builders and backers to submit to news media, court and relevant authorities documentary proof.
Reacting angrily, Lalpura suggested that the Union Minister must “stay within his limits” as the matter had been already addressed by constitutional institutions.
But in the past years, it was human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, from whose work the movie is based on, who years ago had spoken out with regard to disappearances and secret cremations, noted Lapnova. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has confirmed this in the course of its probing, he added.
Lalpura rejected the minister’s demand for fresh evidence and told Bittu to file a case with NHRC for these records.
The exchange has shown some distinct divisions among members of the Punjab BJP leadership on a politically and emotionally charged topic centering on the state’s militancy days.
The experienced officer in the Indian police was instrumental in the years of insurgency in Punjab and was included among the Officers who arrested gangmaster Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale after the failed Nirankari Clash.
The episode has caught the fancy of the opposing parties who are blaming the BJP with a history of giving mixed signals on the issues of Punjab.