Indian police are investigating the murder of a popular Punjabi rapper, who blended hip-hop and folk music, a day after he was fatally shot, officials said yesterday.
Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, also known around the world by his stage name Sidhu Moose Wala, was killed on Sunday evening while driving his car in Mansa, a district in northern India’s Punjab state. Moose Wala, 28, was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead.
Punjab Director General of Police VK Bhawra said the initial investigation has revealed the killing to be an intergang rivalry.
A day before the attack, the Punjab government had pulled security cover for more than 400 people, including Moose Wala, in a bid to clamp down on “VIP culture,” local media reports said.
Moose Wala started off as a songwriter before a hit song in 2017 catapulted his singing career, making him well known among the Indian and Punjabi diaspora in places like the UK and Canada.
Most of his singles have an English title, even though the songs were mainly sung in Punjabi. His glossy music videos were most famous for his rap lyrics and often focused on macho culture. His debut album in 2018 made it to Canada’s Billboard Albums chart.
Moose Wala was a controversial figure, in part due to his lyrical style. In 2020, police charged him under India’s Arms Act for allegedly promoting gun culture in one of his songs.
His latest track, The Last Ride, was released earlier this month.
The rapper joined the Indian National Congress party last year and unsuccessfully ran in the state’s assembly elections.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that “no culprit will be spared,” and that he was deeply shocked and saddened by the murder.
Indian lawmaker and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed his condolences on Twitter.
“Deeply shocked and saddened by the murder of promising Congress leader and talented artist,” he wrote.
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