The ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) issued a takedown order to Zee5 under Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act and the matter is currently being examined by the Inter-Departmental Committee constituted under the IT Rules, 2021, HT reported on Monday.

“The Centre’s directions to remove Satluj from Zee5 were issued on security-related grounds under Section 69A of the IT Act. The matter will subsequently be examined by the Inter-Departmental Committee constituted under the IT Rules, 2021, in accordance with the prescribed procedure,” the official cited above added.

Orders under Section 69A are confidential in nature, and empower the government to block online content in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the defence of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognisable offence relating to these grounds.

The Honey Trehan-directed film depicts the life of Khalra during the turbulent 1990s in Punjab. It features Dosanjh as Khalra, who was abducted in 1995 and never seen again.

Originally titled Punjab ‘95, the film was released on Zee 5 after an almost three-year-long tussle with India’s censor board over its planned theatrical release, during which the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) asked for 127 cuts. The filmmakers eventually decided to go the streaming route and an unedited version of the film was eventually released on Zee5 on Friday.

Content on streaming platforms and the platforms themselves do not fall under the jurisdiction of CBFC, and films on these platforms don’t require a CBFC certificate. Instead, they are regulated by MIB under Part III of the IT Rules, 2021.

HT reached out to the makers of the movie, but did not receive a response immediately.