Sidhu Moose Wala often landed in trouble for glorifying gun culture and violence in his songs. Despite his many run-ins with the law, he became a darling of the Punjab Police. And no matter where fame took him, he returned to his village Moosa
Be it pop music or politics, Sidhu Moose Wala continued to be surrounded by controversy. The singer-politician was shot dead on Sunday in Mansa district Punjab. Image Courtesy: sidhu_moosewala/Instagram
Congress leader and Punjabi rapper Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moose Wala, was shot dead in Mansa district on Sunday, three days after his security was downgraded.
Moose Wala and his friends were driving to the village Jawahar Ke in Punjab when his SUV was sprayed with bullets, leaving him bleeding. The 28-year-old singer was rushed to the hospital but doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Punjab Director General of Police V K Bhawra on Sunday said the killing of the popular singer seemed to be the result of an inter-gang rivalry and that the Canada-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang was behind it.
Moose Wala joined the Congress in December last year. But much before he took the political plunge, his rise to popularity was shrouded in controversies. We take a look at his stardom, music, and more.
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A pop sensation
Moose Wala was a pop sensation before he became a politician. Born in Mansa’s Moosa village – that’s why the name Moose Wala – he went to Canada in 2016 and shot to fame because of his songs, the lyrics of which were often controversial. He featured in Billboard Canadian Albums in 2018 and on the UK Singles Chart.
He released his first track, “So High” in 2017, on his YouTube channel, which has since then grown in popularity with 10.8 million subscribers; another eight million follow him on Instagram. But as his fan-following grew so did the controversies.
The controversies
The rapper was slammed for glorifying gun culture and violence in his songs, which led to several criminal cases filed against him. His social media accounts – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter – are filled with pictures that show Moose Wala flaunting weapons.
In 2019, Moose Wala was slammed for showing 18th-Century Sikh warrior Mai Bhago in poor light in his song “Jatti Jeonay Morh Di Bandook Wargi”. The singer later apologised for it.
In February 2020, he ran into trouble for promoting gun violence through his song titled “Pang Golian”. 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 and in May that year, 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 lockdown went viral, reports The Hindustan Times.
Punjab Police’s poster boy
Interestingly, the youth who had so many run-ins with the law became a poster boy of sorts for the Punjab Police. He released a song slamming the first COVID-19 death in the state and wished a doctor in Mansa on his birthday after he got an invitation from the local police.
His song “Gurbaksh Gwacha” was released carrying the Punjab Police logo and the link was tweeted by the director-general of police, who later deleted it. Several complaints were registered against Moose Wala for the derogatory lyrics of the song. The singer joined the police’s #Main_bhi_harjit_singh campaign in support of the cop whose hand was chopped off in a clash in Patiala with a group of Nihangs.
Then came a viral video in which Moose Wala was seen firing the AK-47 under the patronage of police officials. An FIR was registered and after the case reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court the Arms Act was invoked.
The musician continued to be defiant, releasing another song titled “Sanju”, comparing himself with controversial Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt who was booked for illegal possession of a firearm. Moose Wala, in this song, boasted about the cases registered against him. That again attracted the attention of law enforcers and he was booked 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.
He courted controversy for displaying a photograph of Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in one of his songs.
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A common theme in Punjabi pop music is the objectification of women and the glorification of liquor. However, it is largely absent from Moose Wala’s music.
The political plunge
The singer liked to live in his village Moosa, his songs spoke about life in rural Punjab, and he remained accessible to those who wanted to meet him. It’s why his son-of-the-soil image never took a hit. His mother was elected as the village sarpanch four years ago and in December 2021, he joined the Congress, just days ahead of the state Assembly polls.
Sidhu Moose Wala with his mother, who became the sarpanch of Moosa village. Image Courtesy: sidhu_moosewala/Instagram
“I am not going anywhere. I will live here and I will die here,” he said during his rallies, as he campaigned in the villages in Punjab. He spoke of clean environment and fighting cancer. He would organise a free cancer camp in the village every year.
Moose Wala drew huge crowds wherever he went but that was not enough to win him the election. He lost by a huge margin of 63,323 votes to the Aam Aadmi Party’s Dr Vijay Singla, who was sacked over allegations of corruption last week.
The defeat did not go down well with Moose Wala. He lashed out against the voters, labelling them ant-national. He released a song titled “Sacpegoat” last month, blaming gaddars for his loss in the election.
That was Moose Wala. He spoke his mind, rarely minced his words. Now he is silenced but the music never dies.
With inputs from agencies
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