Indian singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh has announced a delay in the release of the new film Punjab 95, which was previously to be released on February 7.

Dosanjh took to his Instagram to share a note regarding the postponement, accompanied by an image of Khalra.

“We are very sorry, and it pains us to inform you that the movie Punjab 95 will not be released on 7th [of] Feb due to circumstances beyond our control,” read the note.

The film was initially named “Ghalughara,” referencing the Ghalughara massacre, and was submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification (GBFC) in 2022, Indian media reported. But the CBFC raised concerns about the title and required 120 cuts to be made in the movie.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the highest Sikh religious authority, stepped in, prompting the CBFC to withdraw its demands for cuts but still insist on a title change. As a result, the film was renamed ‘Punjab 95’. A trailer for the movie was released in 2022 but was taken down within 24 hours.

The film was set to have its world premiere at the renowned Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), but was withdrawn just a day before the event. According to Variety, the removal was attributed to political reasons, given that Canada has the second-largest Sikh population in the world after India. The festival organisers did not confirm or deny these claims.

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Punjab 95 is a biopic focused on Jaswant Singh Khalra, a human rights activist from Punjab. Khalra campaigned against the police’s fake encounters involving Sikh youths during the militancy period. He also conducted investigations into thousands of unidentified bodies in Punjab from 1984 to 1994.