Moosewala's father says crackdown on Amritpal deliberately timed to coincide with son's death anniversary

Slain singer Sidhu Moosewala's parents on Sunday launched an attack on the Punjab government, alleging that the crackdown on radical preacher Amritpal Singh was deliberately timed to coincide with the observance of death anniversary of their son.

"I want to ask the government why did they not find any other day to catch Amritpal? Why they chose today? Why internet has been suspended today...," said Balkaur Singh, the father of Moosewala who was shot dead in May last year.

Singh alleged that it was deliberately done as people were to raise their voice seeking justice for Moosewala at his "barsi" (death anniversary) event, and asserted that their fight will continue till they get justice.

"Can they suppress our voice seeking justice in this manner...," Singh said addressing the gathering in their native village Mansa. Senior state Congress leaders, including Partap Singh Bajwa and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, attended the event.

A hunt for radical preacher Amritpal Singh continued for the second day as the Punjab government extended curbs on mobile internet and SMS services till Monday noon. The self-styled radical preacher has been on the run since the Punjab Police launched a massive crackdown on Saturday and arrested 78 members of the 'Waris Punjab De', headed by him.

Moosewala's father said that when people have gathered in his native village to pay tributes to the late singer and hold prayers, they do not have access to internet. People do not have access to internet but gangsters lodged in jails have it, he alleged.

He also claimed that gangsters like Lawrence Bishnoi were having a free run as he referred to one of his recent TV interviews. "When he (Lawrence Bishnoi) appeared on TV, I felt like my son has died again," he said.

Balkaur Singh reiterated that the alleged masterminds behind his son's murder were still at large. Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, was shot dead in Punjab's Mansa district on May 29. His death anniversary was observed in advance. Balkaur Singh and his wife Charan Kaur had earlier this month sat on a protest outside the Punjab Assembly complex in Chandigarh seeking justice for their son.

"Don't force us to sit outside the gates of Vidhan Sabha again. What is our demand after all? It is just that the masterminds in the case should be brought to book. The names of people whom we suspect of conspiring our son's murder should be questioned. Is this an unjustified demand," he told the gathering.

Moosewala's mother Charan Kaur alleged that gangsters lodged in jails were signing death warrants of people. On Amritpal Singh, she said she does not know who he was or from where he had come, but added he was steering the youth towards "Sikhi" and that so far no wrong action on his part had come to the fore.

She said that the date for her son's death anniversary event had been announced much in advance, but the authorities chose the time to announce that they had registered FIRs against Amritpal and his supporters in the Ajnala incident and launched a crackdown.