Rishi Nagar - Yesterday
Calgary Herald
Sadly, the unleashed politics of hate is showing its cruel face in India with the slaying of Canadian-based rapper Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, 28, known famously as Sidhu Moose Wala.
Sadly, the unleashed politics of hate is showing its cruel face in India with the slaying of Canadian-based rapper Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, 28, known famously as Sidhu Moose Wala.
Youth pay tribute to late Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala who was shot dead a day earlier in Mansa district in India's Punjab state, during a candlelight vigil in Amritsar on May 30, 2022.
Thousands of fans gathered outside his Indian village home after he was shot dead in Punjab on the weekend. He was cremated Tuesday.
In just another example, people are being killed mercilessly. Hatred, bigotry and intolerance are engulfing societies and communities.
The Punjab police chief, Viresh Kumar Bhawra, said the killing of the singer seemed to have been a fallout of an inter-gang rivalry with the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang. This gang has ties with the persons in Canada, he claimed.
The state police chief said Moose Wala’s security cover was scaled down to free personnel for deployment during the Operation Blue Star anniversary next week. Moose Wala had a private bulletproof car but he chose not to travel in it and chose not to take two commandos assigned to him for his security as well.
Sidhu rose to international stardom on a series of hits recorded after moving to Canada as an international student at Humber College in Toronto. He returned to India, where he contested unsuccessfully the Punjab legislative assembly election for the Indian National Congress Party this year.
He was widely known for his “gangster rap,” attracting 6.9 million followers on Instagram and more than 10.8 million YouTube subscribers.
However, Moose Wala had close ties with controversies as well. Violence had previously broken out at some of his Canadian performances, including a stabbing at a Surrey event and gunfire at a Calgary concert in 2019.
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His song titled Jatti Jeone Morh Wargi came under fire as it made a reference to the 18th-century Sikh valiant woman Mai Bhago. Many police reports were also registered against Moose Wala for promoting violence and hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikh community. He had to issue an apology later on.
Later, he was also booked by the Punjab police under the Arms Act after being charged with the promotion of gun culture in 2020. The action was taken for his song Panj Goliyan (Five Bullets).
He did extend his support to the farmers’ protest at the Delhi borders that went on for more than a year.
The controversial singer-turned-politician went on to release the song Sanju, a day after his bail on Arms Act charges by a Sangrur district court, comparing his case with that of the famous Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt. Last year, a criminal case was filed against Moose Wala and five police personnel, after a video showing him shooting at a firing range went viral on social media.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann tweeted his condolences for Moose Wala, with a statement from the Congress party saying that his death “has come as a terrible shock to the Congress party & the entire nation.”
With his Canadian connection, he has performed to soldout crowds in Manitoba, Ontario, B.C. and Alberta and was scheduled to perform in Calgary and elsewhere in Canada as a part of his Back 2 Business Tour.
His music videos generally secured millions of views and featured slick production and camera work. His 2018 song, It’s All About You, was the most-watched YouTube video on Valentine’s Day in 2018.
Canadian rapper Drake paid tribute to Sidhu, posting to his Instagram story a photo of the singer with the caption “RIP MOOSE.”
Canadian comedian Lilly Singh also remembered Sidhu in an Instagram post, calling him a “young legend.”
“Through his revolutionary music, he will live on. Beyond the care he had for his community, he created the soundtrack that made many of us feel seen, a perfect blend of hip hop, rap and folk music,” she commented.
Many of Moose Wala’s followers on social media are holding the state government responsible for this murder and many unfounded conspiracy theories are popping up.
Rishi Nagar is the news director at Red FM 106.7 in Calgary, a member of the Calgary Police Service’s Anti-Racism Committee and a member of the senate of the University of Calgary.
Thousands of fans gathered outside his Indian village home after he was shot dead in Punjab on the weekend. He was cremated Tuesday.
In just another example, people are being killed mercilessly. Hatred, bigotry and intolerance are engulfing societies and communities.
The Punjab police chief, Viresh Kumar Bhawra, said the killing of the singer seemed to have been a fallout of an inter-gang rivalry with the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang. This gang has ties with the persons in Canada, he claimed.
The state police chief said Moose Wala’s security cover was scaled down to free personnel for deployment during the Operation Blue Star anniversary next week. Moose Wala had a private bulletproof car but he chose not to travel in it and chose not to take two commandos assigned to him for his security as well.
Sidhu rose to international stardom on a series of hits recorded after moving to Canada as an international student at Humber College in Toronto. He returned to India, where he contested unsuccessfully the Punjab legislative assembly election for the Indian National Congress Party this year.
He was widely known for his “gangster rap,” attracting 6.9 million followers on Instagram and more than 10.8 million YouTube subscribers.
However, Moose Wala had close ties with controversies as well. Violence had previously broken out at some of his Canadian performances, including a stabbing at a Surrey event and gunfire at a Calgary concert in 2019.
His song titled Jatti Jeone Morh Wargi came under fire as it made a reference to the 18th-century Sikh valiant woman Mai Bhago. Many police reports were also registered against Moose Wala for promoting violence and hurting the religious sentiments of the Sikh community. He had to issue an apology later on.
Later, he was also booked by the Punjab police under the Arms Act after being charged with the promotion of gun culture in 2020. The action was taken for his song Panj Goliyan (Five Bullets).
He did extend his support to the farmers’ protest at the Delhi borders that went on for more than a year.
The controversial singer-turned-politician went on to release the song Sanju, a day after his bail on Arms Act charges by a Sangrur district court, comparing his case with that of the famous Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt. Last year, a criminal case was filed against Moose Wala and five police personnel, after a video showing him shooting at a firing range went viral on social media.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann tweeted his condolences for Moose Wala, with a statement from the Congress party saying that his death “has come as a terrible shock to the Congress party & the entire nation.”
With his Canadian connection, he has performed to soldout crowds in Manitoba, Ontario, B.C. and Alberta and was scheduled to perform in Calgary and elsewhere in Canada as a part of his Back 2 Business Tour.
His music videos generally secured millions of views and featured slick production and camera work. His 2018 song, It’s All About You, was the most-watched YouTube video on Valentine’s Day in 2018.
Canadian rapper Drake paid tribute to Sidhu, posting to his Instagram story a photo of the singer with the caption “RIP MOOSE.”
Canadian comedian Lilly Singh also remembered Sidhu in an Instagram post, calling him a “young legend.”
“Through his revolutionary music, he will live on. Beyond the care he had for his community, he created the soundtrack that made many of us feel seen, a perfect blend of hip hop, rap and folk music,” she commented.
Many of Moose Wala’s followers on social media are holding the state government responsible for this murder and many unfounded conspiracy theories are popping up.
Rishi Nagar is the news director at Red FM 106.7 in Calgary, a member of the Calgary Police Service’s Anti-Racism Committee and a member of the senate of the University of Calgary.
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