|HT|
Famous Punjabi singer and Congress leader Sidhu Moose Wala, who was shot dead by unknown assailants in Mansa district on Sunday evening, was cremated at a farmland in his native village in the presence of a huge crowd on Tuesday. The family has decided to perform the last rites at their ancestral agricultural land in Mansa district's Moosa village. His father was accompanied by Congress leaders, including PPCC president Raja Warring. The body will be brought to the ground on Moose Wala's favourite 5911 tractor. Earlier, a large number of people gathered at the home of Shubhdeep Singh, known as Sidhu Moose Wala, 28, to pay him last respects. The young rapper was shot dead - not too far from his home. His death is being mourned in India and Canada where he had gone as a student. Moose Wala's body was brought to his home amid heavy security arrangements. A huge crowd gathered outside his ancestral house as police closed the doors, and only family members and close friends were allowed to enter.
The Congress leader’s murder has triggered a huge political row in the state amid calls for the dismissal of the Bhagwant Mann government. The death was reported just a day after his security was downgraded. Moose Wala was among the 424 people whose security was withdrawn or curtailed by the Punjab Police on Saturday on a temporary basis. The Punjab chief minister on Monday ordered a review into the decision of scaling down his security amid wide criticism. The move was taken by the state government - against the “VIP culture” - affected hundreds.
On Monday, his family had refused to allow the post-mortem of the body after the Punjab police claimed it was a case of inter-gang rivalry.
Punjab DGP VK Bhawra, however, later clarified that he had the highest regard for the singer-politician. On no occasion, he added, he had called the 28-year-old a gangster.
“Claims and counterclaims by various persons claiming to be gangsters are coming on social media. One Goldy Brar has claimed responsibility on behalf of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang,” he said. A total of 25 entry and exit bullet wounds were found in the body of the popular singer, an autopsy report has revealed.
The famous Punjabi singer had fought the recent assembly election in Punjab on a Congress ticket from Mansa and was defeated by the AAP's Vijay Singla.
(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)