Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu – known as Sidhu Moose Wala to his 11 million YouTube followers and millions of fans – was killed on Sunday May 29 in Punjab (northeast). The singer could have been the victim of a settling of scores linked to a gang war that is plaguing the state.
Sidhu Moose Wala was driving his 4×4 in the town of Mansa, Punjab, when he was attacked on Sunday afternoon by assailants traveling in two or three cars. According to the police, they fired around 30 bullets at him.
Following this murder, demonstrations broke out in several localities in Punjab. Faced with popular anger, the head of the state government, Bhagwant Mann, reacted by ordering the opening of a special investigation. Five suspects were arrested on Monday, reports our correspondent in New Delhi, Antoine Guinard.
Sidhu Moose Wala, 28, ran unsuccessfully in the regional elections as a candidate for Congress, the main opposition party. However, everything suggests that his murder was not motivated by political, but personal reasons. The assassination seems to fall under “ gang rivalry said Punjab Police Chief Viresh Kumar Bhawra. A gangster living in Canada and known by the nickname of Goldy Brar ” claimed responsibility “of the attack” on behalf of Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang “.
Like many American rappers, Siddhu Moose Wala had often been accused of glorifying weapons and violence in his songs, not hesitating to taunt his rivals, in a region where firearms are particularly widespread.
Sidhu Moose Wala, who raps in Punjabi, the language of his region, has more than five billion views on YouTube and tens of millions of fans around the world, particularly within the large Punjabi community in India, but also in Canada and the United Kingdom. His greatest hits, like Legend, Old Skool, Devil and Just Listen, are among the most popular music videos in India. Canadian rapper Drake, actor Ajay Devgn and Bollywood musician Vishal Dadlani said they were in shock after the killing. ” India had very few genuine modern artists. He was at the top of the list “, estimated Dadlani.
(And with AFP)