Father of murdered hip hop star Sidhu Moose Wala says investigation is moving too slowly
One year on from the death of Punjabi hip hop star Sidhu Moose Wala, his father says he is destroyed by his son’s killing.
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Mr Singh says he has not been able to heal from the pain of losing his only child.
Sidhu Moose Wala was a global icon who released more than 60 singles and became a household name in Punjab and among the diaspora Sikh population in the UK and Canada.
His father is currently in the UK working on creating a permanent tribute to the Punjabi hip hop star.
We met in Kent, deciding to chat at the local gurdwara where the family, including Sidhu, would often visit.
The detailed stonework and delicate wood carvings of Gravesend’s Gurdwara are beautiful. It created a peaceful sanctuary for our conversation with Mr Singh.
He clearly felt at ease in this place of prayer, nodding and stopping to talk with a number of people who recognised him as we wandered through the cloisters.
We climbed the white marble staircase to find a spot to chat away from the congregation.
We met in the week before the anniversary of Moose Wala’s death.
“I felt completely cut up,” Mr Singh told me.
“I was lost. When a child from a simple family is taken away from the world in this way, then it would absolutely destroy you.”
Moose Wala – whose real name Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu – was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on 29 May last year in Mansa, Punjab.
The day before, it had been publicly announced that his state security would be slimmed down by Punjab’s new government to redirect resources.
Sidhu Moose Wala (left) with his father Balkaur Singh. Pic: Instagram / @sardarbalkaursidhu
‘Death threats’
The family says the timing was suspicious and now feel that their lives are in danger too.
“We come from an honest, hardworking family, but yet still my only child is killed in a way that you wouldn’t even kill an animal,” Mr Singh said.
“What safety do we have? Every other day I receive a death threat. What have I done wrong? Should I not be seeking justice for my son? Something that is in my right to do.”
The perceived lack of progress in the investigation is a source of anger for Mr Singh, who is exhausted in his fight for justice.
The case is ‘going so slow’
“The saddest thing about this all is that the case is going so slow and I want to emphasise to your viewers around the world, that if the case carries on with the same pace, I will die and then there will be no justice for my son.”
So far 27 people have been jailed for their part in the murder and the investigation is ongoing.
Sky News contacted the Punjab police and state government for an update regarding the murder investigation but received no response.
Moose Wala started his musical journey in 2016.
After studying engineering, he moved to Canada where hundreds of thousands of Sikhs have emigrated.
Moose Wala enjoyed riding on a tractor during his free time
The rapper was renowned for fusing modern hip-hop and classic Punjabi music, which connected Punjabi audiences across borders.
As Moose Wala’s career progressed, his songs became more socially, culturally and politically conscious.
He made history when he became the first singer from India to perform at Wireless Festival in 2021.
Guns and tractors
But his music had been controversial.
He had an affinity for guns, which would sometimes feature in his music videos and on his social media platforms. But his father tells Sky News, this portrayal is far from the accurate version of his son.
“After Sidhu’s death, wrong accusations have been made against him. He was a well-known celebrity in the world. They are trying to tarnish his image.
“Despite being such a huge celebrity, he was a down to earth guy.
“He even wrote in his songs that he had no interest in going to clubs and pubs, but instead would always go out with his tractor to the fields when he was free.”
Moose Wala. Pic: Instagram / @sardarbalkaursidhu
The family didn’t come to Gravesend often, but had a base here where family and friends would welcome them with open arms.
We were shown where Moose Wala and his family would stay when in the UK.
His bed is still made
The singer’s bed is still made. They haven’t moved his belongings since his last visit in September 2021 just months before his life was cut short.
“That’s where he’d play on the PlayStation,” Mr Singh tells me.
His friends bring out his harmonium: “This is what he’d use to practise his music here,” says his father.
Read more:
Sidhu Moose Wala’s father accuses Punjab govt of ‘suppressing’ those seeking justice
Sidhu Moose Wala: Punjabi singer and rapper shot dead
It was a private place that Mr Singh wanted to show us even though it was clearly a painful reminder of his son not being here.
“I don’t come into this room a lot.
“It brings back past memories and feelings when I’m in this room.”
“I get a lump in my throat, so I can’t sit here for too long.”
He is the father of a man once dubbed one of India’s most forceful musical exports, but behind this celebrity tragedy is simply a father desperate for answers.
Palestine Action can still challenge the decision to ban the group under anti-terror laws after the government lost an appeal.
The group was “proscribed” in July, making it illegal to show any support or affiliation for it, following incidents that included breaking in to an RAF base.
The Home Office appealed after a court granted the group’s co-founder a judicial review and said the ban disproportionately interfered with freedom of speech and assembly.
A woman is led away by police during Palestine Action protest on 6 September. Pic: PA
It said the government should also have consulted the group first.
Despite the ban, nearly 900 supporters were arrested at a single protest in London last month.
The judicial review of the ban was scheduled to begin on 25 November and Friday’s Court of Appeal decision means it can still go ahead.
Palestine Action called it a “landmark victory” and said co-founder Huda Ammori had also been granted permission to appeal on two further grounds.
Reacting after the court’s decision, Ms Ammori called the ban “absurdly authoritarian” and “one of the most extreme attacks on civil liberties in recent British history”.
She said 2,000 people had been arrested since it was outlawed and arresting “peaceful protesters” under the Terrorism Act was a misuse of resources.
The group’s vandalising of aircraft at Brize Norton in June – with two activists reportedly entering on electric scooters – prompted a security review of UK defence sites.
Read more from Sky News:
Neo-Nazis who plotted attacks on mosques and synagogues jailed
Backlash over footballer’s return after violence conviction
Supporters of the group vandalised aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in June
Its supporters have carried out numerous protests in the UK, with many involving vandalism and violence.
Last year, it smashed windows and sprayed red paint on Barclays branches and this summer vandalised a Bristol defence technology firm, allegedly assaulting staff and police.
Multiple rallies for the group have taken place in London since July’s ban, with hundreds detained for showing support.
A protest at the start of this month saw another 492 people arrested despite calls for the event to be scrapped after the Manchester synagogue terror attack.
The King will become the first British monarch to pray publicly with the Pope since the Reformation 500 years ago during a state visit to the Holy See next week.
The King and Queen will meet the new pontiff Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace, his official residence, next Thursday during their trip to Vatican City.
In a highly significant moment in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England, of which His Majesty is Supreme Governor, the King and Queen and the Pope will attend a special ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel celebrating the ongoing work towards unity and cooperation among different Christian churches.
The decision for the King and Pope to pray together during the service will be the first time a monarch and the pontiff have joined together in this type of moment of reflection in the 500 years since the Reformation when, in 1534, King Henry VIII declared himself as head of the Church of England and broke from the papal authority of the Rome Catholic Church.
In another historic step, the King will be made “Royal Confrater” of the Abbey of St Paul’s Outside the Walls.
The abbot of the community and the archpriest of the basilica wished to confer the title and received the Pope’s approval to do so. To mark the occasion a special seat has been made decorated with the King’s coat of arms.
Read more:
King Charles pays tribute to Pope Francis
King and Queen meet Pope Francis at the Vatican
The King will use it during the service, after which it will remain in the apse of the basilica for future use by His Majesty and his heirs and successors.
English Kings had a particular link with The Papal Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls until the Reformation. It is also known as the Papal Basilica where reconciliation, ecumenism and relationships across the Christian faith are celebrated.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
King to pray with Pope
A spokesperson for the Church of England said: “The royal confrater title, whilst it confers no duties or obligations on the King, and makes no changes whatsoever to the formal, constitutional and ecclesiastical position of His Majesty as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, it is a tribute to his majesty and his own work over many decades to find common ground between faiths and to bring people together.”
The trip comes during the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee year. Held traditionally every 25 years, “Pilgrims of Hope” is the theme of this jubilee.
The King and Queen met the late Pope Francis in April. Pic: Reuters
The visit will also reflect the joint commitment from both Pope Leo and the King to protect nature and their shared concern for the environment. The service at the Sistine Chapel will have the theme of “Care for Creation” and they will attend a meeting on sustainability.
A spokesperson from the Foreign Office said: “At a time of growing instability and conflict, the UK’s relationship with the Holy See is more important than ever. The Holy See is a key international actor.
“We work with the Holy See to promote human dignity, to promote peace and combat climate change… so His Majesty’s visit will strengthen the UK’s relationship with this crucial and influential global partner.”
Read more on Sky News:
Vatican must do more to help sexual abuse victims
Pope Leo’s revealing birthday interview
Only in 1961 did Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch since the Reformation to make an official visit to the Holy See.
In April of this year, a royal visit had to be cancelled due to the ill health of Pope Francis, but both the King and Queen did meet him privately while on a trip to Rome. It is understood Pope Leo and the King have been actively engaged in how this reorganised visit will look and the themes it will cover.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024