In a special Instagram post, Singh paid tribute to the singer, who was shot dead on Sunday by unidentified assailants in Punjab’s Mansa district, a day after the state government curtailed his security cover. “Dil da ni mada…” he captioned the post featuring a black and white photo of the slain singer.
The actor also shared an Instagram story on the same and captioned it as “Immortal.”
Several Bollywood stars including Ajay Devgn, Vicky Kaushal, Nimrat Kaur, Shehnaaz Gill, Swara Bhasker, Geeta Basra, Ishaan Khatter, Kapil Sharma and others took to social media to pen their notes of condolence and express their shock over the shooting.
Fellow Indian musicians also mourned Moosewala’s demise. Singers including Mika Singh, Vishal Dadlani, Tony Kakkar, and many others took to their handles to condemn the attack and offer their condolences to the singer’s family.
Moosewala’s cousin and a friend, who were travelling in a Mahindra Thar jeep with him, were also injured in the attack which is suspected to be a fallout of inter-gang rivalry, Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora told reporters.
Punjab’s Director General of Police VK Bhawra said at least three weapons were used and 30 rounds fired in the attack.
Moosewala, 27, had fought on the Congress ticket from Mansa assembly seat in the recent assembly election and was defeated by AAP’s Vijay Singla. Leaders of Congress and other political parties also expressed shock and anger over the killing.
Announcing the formation of a Special Investigation Team to probe the murder, the DGP said Moosewala had not taken with him the two Punjab police commandos who were still provided for his security. The SSP said when Moosewala and his associates reached Jawahar Ke village in Mansa, two vehicles intercepted them and they were hit by a hail of bullets from the occupants of these vehicles. “Moosewala was immediately taken to civil hospital where he was declared brought dead. The two others were stable,” said the SSP.
He said that police found bullet shells of a 9 mm weapon, adding that there was a possibility of the use of a 315 bore weapon.
When asked about the use of an AK-47 rifle in the incident, the SSP said it could be possible, but all facts would come out during the investigation. The SSP said that the incident could be the result of an inter-gang rivalry.
He said the name of Moosewala’s manager had cropped up in the murder case of youth Akali leader Vicky Middukhera last year. The SSP said that there was a rivalry between Lawrence Bishnoi and Lucky Patial gangs and the attack could be connected to it.
“We are investigating the matter and we have got some leads,” said the SSP Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, known as Sidhu Moosewala, was among the 424 people whose security was withdrawn or curtailed by the Punjab Police on Saturday.
He was touted as a “youth icon” and an “international figure” by the Punjab Congress after he joined the party. His mother is a Sarpanch of Moosa village in Mansa district while his father is an ex-serviceman. Though Moosewala faced criticism from several quarters for allegedly promoting violence and gun culture in his songs, he has a considerable fan following among youth. He was also booked for allegedly promoting violence through his song ”Sanju”.
Moosewala was also booked under relevant provisions of the Arms Act and the Disaster Management Act in Barnala after his photographs of firing an AK-47 rifle at a firing range during the COVID-19 lockdown appeared on social media. He had earned the wrath of Sikh organisations for allegedly hurting their religious sentiments by using objectionable words against Mai Bhago, a Sikh warrior who fought against Mughals.
Moosewala had established his name as a Punjabi singer with chartbusters like ‘Jatt Da Muqabla’, ‘Dollar’, ‘So high’ and ‘Bambiha Bole’. During the poll campaigning, Moosewala mingled with people of all ages. He had told PTI that he wanted to do something good for the people of Mansa constituency.
