Gruesome act
The untimely demise of Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu — popularly known as Sidhu Moose Wala — has left the nation in shock. The newly-sworn AAP government in Punjab has come under severe criticism by the opposition parties in the state. While the crime is under investigation and the case will take its due course, a grave security lapse is undeniable. The state government should be held accountable for the security breach. For the Bhagwant Mann government, the problem becomes highly compounded with the fact that Sidhu's security, along with that of 423 others, was removed just a day before his gruesome murder. The AAP government has emerged as a dominant political force in Punjab after the recent assembly elections. It not just dislodged the Congress from power but also washed out the chances of the BJP and its allies in the state. Having earned so many adversaries at a time, the state government is facing a widespread political ire from all sides. The Congress party — which Sidhu joined last year — has sought the dismissal of the AAP government in the state. The party said that the government has lost the moral authority to govern. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Chief Sukhbir Singh Badal pointed towards a state of anarchy and breakdown of law-and-order situation. Stating that this is not a time for political scoring, he urged the Chief Minister to honestly introspect if the withdrawal of security was responsible for Sidhu's murder. The sharpest attack came from the Bharatiya Janata Party which is digging out Kumar Vishwas' pre-election allegation that Arvind Kejriwal has links with Khalistan sympathizers. A BJP leader was quoted saying that in mere two months of AAP coming to power, the "dangerous footprints of the bloody game" is visible. Given that Sidhu was an active politician, alongside being a popular singer, a rigorous political controversy following his murder was inevitable. It appears that the AAP government's woes on this issue are not going away anytime soon. Sidhu had entered into politics last year and lost to AAP's Vijay Singla in 2022 assembly elections from the Mansa seat. Owing to his "rebellion" nature, Sidhu had touched a chord among the youth population. His career and life had been defined by both towering success and pinching controversies. After having passed his graduation with Electrical Engineering in 2016, Sidhu shot to global fame the very next year with the release of his popular track, So High. In 2018, he came up with his maiden album PBX 1. His career graph had been on the rise in the years that followed. He gave popular numbers like Sidhu's Anthem, Poison, Homicide etc. in 2019. Moosetape tracks again became global phenomena in 2021. His departure at a tender age of 28 is a blow to the music industry and his fans. Sidhu's rebellious nature and its reflection in his songs verged on violence and many saw him as a proponent of gun culture. Ironically, his life came to a tragic end with bullets. Sidhu will be remembered by his fans for being rooted to his locale. In his short career and life, the singer amassed a huge fortune apart from fame but never cut himself away from his village. His death is a loss to the nation, but certainly more so for his village and his family. Empathy and condolences must go to his relatives in this hour of crisis. AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal also expressed his deep shock over the murder and appealed everyone to stay calm. He promised that nobody involved will be spared. The promise will have to be kept by the Party leader in order to deliver speedy justice to Sidhu's family, and also to maintain the trust of people in the government. AAP's Punjab victory was hailed as a mark of surge of the party in the national firmament. If the party wishes to retain and further augment this momentum, it will have to deliver on this issue in a timely manner. Punjab Director General of Police VK Bhawra suspects the murder to be a result of inter-gang rivalry and a special investigation team has been (SIT) has been set up to investigate the incident. It is hoped that justice will soon be delivered.