In California, school named after Jaswant Singh Khalra, who blew lid off Punjab killings of 1980s and 1990s
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Jalandhar: 'Punjab 95', the film starring Diljit Dosanjh on slain human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, faced 127 cuts from the
Central Board of Film Certification
at home in India, but an elementary school in Fresno, California, has been named after the man who challenged Punjab Police during the darkest days of the state.
The school was inaugurated in the presence of Khalra's family on Friday. "It was a historic day in Central Unified! Today, we proudly celebrated the ribbon cutting of Jaswant Singh Khalra Elementary School — the first elementary school in the United States named after a Punjabi human rights activist," posted the Central Unified School District, in Fresno County, on its Facebook page.
"This powerful moment was more than just the opening of a new school — it was a tribute to courage, community, and the rich cultural heritage of our Punjabi community that helps shape the Central Valley.
We're excited for our students to walk these hallways in the upcoming school year and carry forward a legacy rooted in justice and truth," added the district.
Khalra's wife, Paramjit Kaur Khalra, and daughter, Navkirtan Kaur, were present on the occasion.
Amid the controversy over a hundred cuts asked by the CBFC, Kunal Kamra called out the CBFC for stalling 'Punjab 95'. Kamra said it was a fear of showing "a hero in a turban."
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Khalra had documented forced disappearances of Sikhs from border areas. Later, 6 Punjab Police officials were convicted for his abduction and disappearance.
Khalra was last seen in Sep 1995, washing his car in front of his house in Amritsar. Khalra had documented and blown the lid off thousands of extra-judicial killings carried out by the state police.
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