Sidhu Moose Wala’s father accuses Indian govt of ‘suppressing’ those seeking justice for murdered hip hop star
The family of one of India’s most popular Punjabi hip hop artists – who was murdered last year – have used his memorial service to call for justice.
Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead by unidentified gunmen the day after his state security was removed by India’s new government.
Addressing the crowds, his father Balkaur Singh raised slogans against the government, saying “criminals and gangsters sitting inside jails have internet access and they are giving TV interviews whereas the government has shut down internet for the common people”.
“This has been done deliberately to suppress our voices seeking justice for our son,” he added.
Balkaur Singh
Gurvinder Singh Sandhu, a family friend, said: “We have got the person who fired that gun but who are the people behind it?
“His father is literally saying [police should] investigate those people.”
Sandy Joia, his childhood friend, came from Kent for the ceremony – Sidhu often stayed with him while in Britain.
He said: “Sidhu’s impact can be seen all around the world.
“The UK parliament raised this issue because he had a resident permit and he was a PR [permanent resident] for Canada.
“But our main concern is the Indian government, where he was paying tax more than £200,000 a year – this government is not doing anything.”
Forensic examination of the cartridges recovered after Sidhu’s death showed the use of an AK-47 rifle, a .30 bore pistol and four or five 9mm pistols. There were more than 25 bullet marks on his vehicle and several more in the walls near the crime scene.
Police said 27 people, including the six gunmen, had been arrested in connection with the killing, but the case is ongoing.
The state’s top police official, VK Bhawra, said the initial investigation revealed the killing to be linked to “inter-gang rivalry”.
But the family are not satisfied with its pace and investigations, and they don’t believe his killing was gang-related.
At the memorial service in his native village of Moosa, the young and old converged to pay homage, coming from all parts of the Punjab and beyond.
Avijeet and his five friends travelled from Mohali, all wearing T-shirts with Sidhu’s picture.
He said: “There is no one like him, and there will be no one like him.
“He is our hero, he is our pride across the world.
“His loss is as if a part of me has been cut off.”
Sidhu’s popularity remains unrivalled with an ever-increasing fan base even after his death.
His songs and videos transcend borders and are watched hundreds of millions of times – his song So High has more than 645 million views and counting.
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It was So High in 2018 that catapulted his music career in India and among the Indian and Punjabi diaspora in countries such as the UK and Canada.
Set to hard-hitting hip hop beats, many of his songs were about weapons, revenge and gangs, interlaced with emotive and political issues.
Read more:
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Described as a pioneer for his community, he was a frequent collaborator with artists from the UK scene, including the rappers MIST and Stefflon Don, and producer Steel Banglez.
He became the first Indian singer to perform at Wireless Festival and won four awards at the BritAsia TV Music Awards.
After his death tributes came from many of music’s big names, including Canadian rapper Drake and afrobeats star Burna Boy.
He also dabbled in politics, unsuccessfully standing for election as an Indian Congress Party candidate in the Punjab elections.
Eight people have been taken to hospital due to turbulence on a flight to Dublin.
Dublin Airport said six passengers and six crew members on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Dublin were hurt after experiencing turbulence over Turkey.
In a later statement, the airport said all passengers were assessed for injury before getting off the plane and eight were taken to hospital.
Graeme McQueen, a spokesman for DAA, the operator of Dublin Airport, told Sky News the aircraft was met by emergency services upon landing shortly before 1pm on Sunday.
Qatar Airways described the injuries sustained by passengers and crew as “minor”.
It said: “[They] are now receiving medical attention… The safety and security of our passengers and crew are our top priority.”
An internal investigation into what happened has now been launched.
Read more:
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Earlier this week, in a separate incident, a British man died on a Singapore Airlines flight after extreme turbulence on a Heathrow-Singapore journey.
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Singapore Airlines passenger Josh Silverstone describes ordeal
Turbulence is defined as a sudden change in airflow and wind speed.
It can often be associated with storm clouds, which are usually well forecast and monitored, allowing planes to fly around them, Sky News weather producer Jo Robinson said.
Clear-air turbulence (CAT) is much more dangerous as there are no visual signs, such as clouds.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
This invisible vertical air movement usually occurs at and above 15,000ft and is mostly linked to the jet stream.
It is unclear what type of turbulence the Qatar Airways flight went through.
World
Papua New Guinea: More than 2,000 people buried alive in landslide – as ‘major destruction’ hampers rescue efforts
More than 2,000 people have been buried by a massive landslide in northern Papua New Guinea, the country’s disaster agency has said.
The landslide levelled the mountainous Kaokalam village in Enga Province – about 370 miles (600km) northwest of the capital Port Moresby.
It hit the Pacific nation at around 3am local time on Friday (6pm on Thursday UK time), and the United Nations had earlier said it estimated 670 people had been killed. Local officials had initially put the number of dead at 100 or more.
People search through a landslide in Yambali village. Pic: Kafuri Yaro/UNDP Papua New Guinea via AP
The Papua New Guinea national disaster centre said the landslide had buried more than 2,000 people.
“The landslide buried more than 2,000 people alive and caused major destruction to buildings, food gardens and caused major impact on the economic lifeline of the country,” an official from the national disaster centre said in a letter to the United Nations.
Earlier, Serhan Aktoprak, head of the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration mission on the island nation, said the figure of 670 deaths was based on calculations by local officials that more than 150 homes had been buried. The previous estimate was 60 homes.
“They are estimating that more than 670 people [are] under the soil at the moment,” he said.
More than 4,000 people were likely impacted by the disaster, humanitarian group CARE Australia said earlier.
It said the area was “a place of refuge for those displaced by [nearby] conflicts”.
Pic: New Porgera Limited/Reuters
Pic: New Porgera Limited/Reuters
About six villages were affected by the landslide in the province’s Mulitaka region, according to Australia‘s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Three bodies were pulled from an area where 50 to 60 homes were destroyed. Six people, including a child, were pulled from the rubble alive, the UN’s Papua New Guinea office said.
But hopes of finding more survivors were diminishing.
Villagers use heavy machinery to search through the landslide. Pic: AP
Yambali was among the villages affected. Pic: Mohamud Omer/International Organisation for Migration via AP
The landslide left debris up to eight metres deep across 200 sq km (77 sq miles), cutting off road access, which was making relief efforts difficult. Helicopters were the only way to reach the area.
Survivors searched through tonnes of earth and rubble by hand looking for missing relatives while a first emergency convoy delivered food, water and other provisions on Saturday.
However, Mr Aktoprak added: “Hopes to take the people out alive from the rubble have diminished now.”
In February, at least 26 men were killed in Enga Province in an ambush amid tribal violence that prompted Prime Minister James Marape to give arrest powers to the country’s military.
Mr Marape has said disaster officials, the defence force and the department of works and highways were assisting with relief and recovery efforts.
A damaged house after the landslide. Pic: Reuters
Locals carry their belongings away from the scene of the landslide. Pic: Reuters
Papua New Guinea, with a population of around 10 million, is a diverse, developing nation of mostly subsistence farmers with 800 languages. There are few roads outside the larger cities.
It is located on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where much of the world’s earthquake and volcanic activity occurs.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
In March, the country was hit by a 6.9-magnitude earthquake.
The US and Australia are building closer defence ties with the strategically important nation, while China is also seeking closer security and economic ties.
US President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said their governments stood ready to help respond to the landslide.
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