Brampton-Based Indian Rapper Shot Dead In Punjab After Political Party Withdrew His Security

Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead on Sunday evening near the village of Jawaharke in the district of Mansa in Punjab, India. The 28-year-old rapper who rose to fame in Brampton, Canada after moving from India was reportedly killed by unidentified assailants.

According to the The Times of India, Wala’s hit is believed to be politically motivated being that the musician had recently been dipping his toes into Indian politics and also ran for office in Mansa as a member of the Congress party. Two other people were injured in the attack after the assailants peppered them with over 30 rounds of gunfire. The wounded victims were brought to a higher medical institution for further treatment.

Moose Wala was said to have been driving his Mahindra Thar after he had left the village of Moosa with his companions to meet with an unidentified individual at the time. Punjab police later learned that Moose Wala was scheduled to meet with chief minister Bhagwant Mann to discuss issues about his security.

In his Tweet last Sunday, the chief minister expressed his shock and sadness over Moose Wala’s gruesome murder, “Nobody involved will be spared. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and his fans across the world. I appeal to everyone to stay calm.”

The attack came just a day after the Punjab government withdrew Moose Wala’s personal security detail from the Punjab police along with 400 other individuals. Since he began his involvement in politics, the artist, also known offstage as Shubheep Singh Sidhu, has faced much criticism for his references to gun violence in his music. Over the last few years, his performances in Canada have been marred by security concerns with the RCMP in Surrey reporting public safety assessment results that forced his act to get yanked citing public safety issues. His past performance in Surrey ended up with a stabbing and gunshots were fired at his Calgary event.

This week, prior to his untimely death, ticket sales for his concert at the Pacific Coliseum set for July 23 were put on hold. Pacific National Exhibition spokesperson Laura Ballance said their team was not aware of any impending security threat linked to their show. After consulting with Vancouver police who did their regular security assessment on the events, Ballance said their team has decided to postpone the scheduled initial ticket drop instead of having to refund tickets should the show get cancelled.