Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann visited singer Sidhu Moosewala’s home here on Friday, assuring the slain singer's family that his killers would soon be behind bars and slamming those “playing politics” over the death.
Mr. Mann spent about an hour with the bereaved family at Moosa village in Mansa district, condoling the death of the 28-year-old Punjabi singer who was shot on Sunday.
The killing took place in the district a day after the new Aam Aadmi Party government pruned the security provided to the singer and about 400 other VIPs as a “temporary” move.
“Police has got vital clues regarding the murder of Sidhu Moosewala and the day is not far when we will nab the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” the CM assured the family, a State government statement said.
Ahead of the Chief Minister’s visit around 10 a.m., the AAP’s Sardulgarh MLA, Gurpreet Singh Banawali, faced protests as he arrived at the family’s home.
There was a large police deployment in Moosa and some people held a protest against Punjab Police, accusing it of preventing them from entering the village.
Mr. Mann called Moosewala a multi-talented artiste blessed with a mesmerising voice and said his untimely death has dealt a major blow to the music industry and millions of fans, the statement said.
He assured the family that the State government was with them in this hour of crisis and will spare no effort in arresting Moosewala’s killers at the earliest.
The Chief Minister said he accorded top priority to 'Punjabiyat' and 'Insaniyat' (humanity) and targeted rivals for “shamelessly playing politics” over the killing.
He said people who were criticising the iconic singer on various issues are now “shamelessly shedding crocodile tears” for cheap publicity.
Mr. Mann said people of Punjab are aware of their “dubious track record” and will not be misled.
The CM said he has already asked the Director General of Police to speed up the investigation. A judicial probe by a sitting high court judge has been ordered, following the family’s demand, he recalled.
In the protests ahead of his visit, some people raised slogans against the State government.
"Our cars are being stopped from entering the village. Our relatives' vehicles are not being allowed to enter," a villager had claimed. Police, however, denied the charge.
The AAP has accused the Congress of playing “dirty politics” over the murder.
Aam Aadmi Party's chief spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang alleged that some Congress leaders, including a former MLA and his supporters are creating trouble. “The whole of Punjab is watching them,” he said.
Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, known as Sidhu Moosewala, was among the 424 people whose security was withdrawn or curtailed by the Punjab Police last Saturday ahead of the “Ghallughara week", the anniversary of ‘Operation Bluestar’ in 1984 to flush out militants from the Golden Temple complex.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court was on Thursday informed that the security will be restored on June 7.
