Singer-politician who was shrouded in controversy
Moose Wala, who had 10 million subscribers on YouTube and 7 million followers on Instagram, was booked for promoting weapons through his songs, firing Ak-47 during lockdown
CHANDIGARH : Punjabi singer and Congress leader Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, aka Sidhu Moose Wala, had a fascination with guns, and, in a sad turn of events, met his end in a hail of bullets at Jawaharke village of Mansa district on Sunday.
The young rapper, who forayed into politics in the 2022 state polls in Punjab, was shot dead by unidentified assailants just two weeks before he was to turn 29. The audacious killing, which came a day after Moose Wala’s security was curtailed by the state government, has left his fans filled with shock and rage as many of them are now demanding justice for him. Moose Wala, whose songs had aggressive macho lyrics, was easily one of the most popular Punjabi singers across the globe, with a particular fan following among the youth. He had more than 10 million subscribers on YouTube and 7 million followers on Instagram.
Brush with controversies
Born in Mansa’s Moosa village, he shot to fame in a short span after he went to Canada in 2016 on a student visa, but soon developed a reputation of being controversy’s favourite child. His violent songs allegedly promoted gun culture and led to a string of criminal cases. His pages on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter often showed him carrying weapons or in the company of people flaunting firearms. His official YouTube channel logo at one time depicted a man dressed in black, with a covered face, carrying an AK-47 assault rifle.
Songs glorifying use of weapons
The singer had his first run-in with the law in February 2020 when he was booked under Sections 509 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 294 (reciting obscene songs) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code in Mansa district for promoting gun culture through a song titled ‘Panj Golian (five bullets). On May 4, he was booked again by the Barnala and Sangrur police for offences under the Disaster Management and Arms Act after videos showing him firing an Ak-47 rifle and a revolver at firing ranges during the coronavirus-induced lockdown went viral on social media.
After he got bail, Moose Wala released a song called “Sanju”, taking pride in the cases registered against him under the Arms Act, comparing himself with Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt who has once also been booked for the illegal possession of an assault rifle. The lyrics of his song went like this. “Ho channel’an te charcha jehi badhi judd gayi, Gabbru de na naal aa santali jud gayi”, (There is a lot of talk on channels, the young man has been associated with 47) the lyrics state.
Another stanza goes, “Gabru te case jehda, Sanjay Dutt te, Jatt utte case jehda Sanjay Dutt te (the young man faces the case that Sanjay Dutt faced, the Jatt faces the case that Sunjay Dutt faced.) The police then registered another case against him under the Arms Act and Sections 188 (disobedience to order) and 294 (obscene acts and songs) and 504 (provocation to break public peace) of the Indian Penal Code in July 2020 for glorifying the use of weapons and boasting about the FIRs through this song.
Unsuccessful foray into politics
Moose Wala, whose mother Charan Kaur got elected as sarpanch of their village four years ago, entered politics by joining the Congress on December 3, 2021, with just days to go for the state polls. Congress leaders, including then chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu party welcomed the “youth icon” with open arms, hoping to capitalise on his popularity.
The singer was fielded from Mansa seat and drew huge crowds, but the gambit failed to work. He lost by a hefty margin of 63,323 votes to AAP’s Dr vijay Singla, who was dropped by chief minister Bhagwant Mann from his cabinet last week over allegations of corruption.
The election defeat had left the singer sour and he released a song titled ‘Scapegoat’ last month, blaming ‘gaddar’ (traitors) for his defeat.
His fans were hopeful of him making a strong electoral comeback, but none expected this tragic turn. Moose Wala fell like his inspiration, American rapper Tupac Shakur, whose music he admired and who was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in his mid-twenties.