Panjab Witness
An interactive timeline archive for the most contested moments of modern Indian political history — Punjab 1984-1995, the Bhindranwale years, the Khalra disappearance — built around primary documents, court records and recorded oral histories, with a 'two-narrative' toggle that shows both the state and human-rights accounts side by side.
Indian university students and curious adults trying to form their own view of Punjab's militancy decade
- Verified document library: CBI reports, NHRC findings, Jaswant Singh Khalra's original complaint, court orders
- Toggle between 'state narrative' and 'rights narrative' timelines so readers can compare what each side claims and when
- Audio oral histories in Punjabi with English transcripts, including survivor testimonies from 1984-95
- Citation export and 'evidence map' showing which facts appear in which source for essay/debate use
The Satluj film controversy and its removal from ZEE5 has dragged the Gill era back into mainstream conversation, and most English-language explainers online are either partisan or thin — students and curious adults are actively searching for context now.
Satluj/ZEE5 removal triggered widespread coverage in NDTV, Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Outlook and Statesman, and multiple dedicated Sikh-history archives already attract audiences around Khalra and Bhindranwale content.Explained: 'Satluj' pulled from Zee5, here's everything that led to controversy ↗Jaswant Singh Khalra - Wikipedia ↗
Crowded partisan space already served by 1984sikh-archive.org, 1984tribute.com, Wikipedia, Archive.org oral-history recordings and multiple Hindustan Times / Indian Express explainers; no truly balanced 'two-narrative toggle' exists but the niche is not wide-open.1984 Sikh Archive | A Dark Chapter in History ↗1984 Tribute - Sikh martyrs archive ↗
Indian university students are highly price-sensitive and free partisan archives plus free news explainers already cover this topic; niche history courses on Coursera/edX rarely monetize well on contested political topics.History Online Courses | Coursera ↗Satluj row explained: Who was Jaswant Singh Khalra and why does his life story make Diljit Dosanjh film controversial ↗
1984 events remain politically active 40+ years on and the Khalra case still drives news cycles, but the specific 'why now' trigger (Satluj film) is event-driven and short-lived.Satluj Actor Kanwaljit Singh After Film Ban In India: 'What's The Freedom Of Speech' ↗
Non-trivial: requires sourcing primary court records, recorded oral histories, and maintaining political balance on a legally sensitive topic in India — and the Satluj film itself was effectively pulled from a major platform within 48 hours, illustrating platform/regulatory risk.'What is this freedom of speech?': Kanwaljit Singh reacts to Satluj being pulled from Zee5 ↗