Never called Sidhu Moosewala gangster or affiliated with gangsters says Punjab DGP
Chandigarh, May 30: Punjab Police chief V K Bhawra on Monday said he never called Sidhu Moosewala a gangster or that he was affiliated with gangsters.
The director general of police's (DGP) clarification came after the slain Punjabi singer's father Balkaur Singh wrote to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann demanding a public apology from Bhawra for linking his son's killing with a gang war.
In the letter to the chief minister, Singh had also demanded a probe by a sitting high court judge into the killing of his son.
Later, in a statement, DGP Bhawra said he has the highest respect for Sidhu Moosewala, and called him a celebrated artist and a cultural icon of Punjab.
Condemning the killing, the state police chief said an investigation was underway and the perpetrators of the crime would be brought to justice.
Bhawra
further
said
on
no
occasion,
has
he
ever
said
that
Moosewala
was
a
gangster
or
affiliated
with
gangsters.
"Claims
and
counterclaims
by
various
persons
claiming
to
be
gangsters
are
being
made
on
social
media.
One
Goldy
Brar
has
claimed
responsibility
on
behalf
of
the
Lawrence
Bishnoi
gang
(for
the
killing
of
Moosewala),"
said
the
DGP.
The investigation would look into all aspects, he further said.
The
DGP
stated
that
he
has
been
misquoted
by
a
section
of
the
media
and
he
has
the
highest
regard
for
Moosewala.
Moosewala,
28,
was
shot
dead
on
Sunday
by
unidentified
assailants
in
Punjab's
Mansa
district,
a
day
after
the
state
government
curtailed
his
security
cover.
His
cousin
and
a
friend,
who
were
travelling
in
a
Mahindra
Thar
jeep
with
him,
were
also
injured
in
the
attack.
He had fought the recent assembly election in Punjab on a Congress ticket from Mansa and was defeated by the AAP's Vijay Singla.
The Punjab police DGP on Sunday said, "This incident (killing of Moosewala) seems to be a case of an inter-gang rivalry." He added that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was behind the killing.
At least three weapons and 30 empty cartridge cases were recovered from the killing site.
Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, known as Sidhu Moosewala, was among the 424 people whose security was withdrawn or curtailed by the Punjab Police on Saturday temporarily.
Moosewala was left with two Punjab Police commandos after the state police withdrew two of four commandos from his security cover. However, he neither took the remaining two commandos nor his bullet-proof vehicle with him on Sunday.