Father of murdered hip hop star Sidhu Moose Wala says investigation is shifting too slowly

One yr on from the demise of Punjabi hip hop star Sidhu Moose Wala, his father says he’s destroyed by his son’s killing.

Speaking solely to Sky News, Mr Singh says he has not been in a position to heal from the ache of dropping his solely baby.

Sidhu Moose Wala was a world icon who launched greater than 60 singles and have become a family identify in Punjab and among the many diaspora Sikh inhabitants within the UK and Canada.

His father is presently within the UK engaged on making a everlasting tribute to the Punjabi hip hop star.

We met in Kent, deciding to talk on the native gurdwara the place the household, together with Sidhu, would typically go to.

The detailed stonework and delicate wooden carvings of Gravesend’s Gurdwara are lovely. It created a peaceable sanctuary for our dialog with Mr Singh.

He clearly felt relaxed on this place of prayer, nodding and stopping to speak with a lot of individuals who recognised him as we wandered by means of the cloisters.

We climbed the white marble staircase to discover a spot to talk away from the congregation.

We met within the week earlier than the anniversary of Moose Wala’s demise.

“I felt completely cut up,” Mr Singh advised 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 actual identify Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu – was shot lifeless by unidentified gunmen on 29 May final yr in Mansa, Punjab.

The day earlier than, it had been publicly introduced that his state safety can be slimmed down by Punjab’s new authorities to redirect assets.

‘Death threats’

The household says the timing was suspicious and now really feel that their lives are at risk 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 stated.

“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 within the investigation is a supply of anger for Mr Singh, who’s exhausted in his battle for justice.

The case is ‘going so gradual’

“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 individuals have been jailed for his or her half within the homicide and the investigation is ongoing.

Sky News contacted the Punjab police and state authorities for an replace concerning the homicide investigation however acquired no response.

Moose Wala began his musical journey in 2016.

After learning engineering, he moved to Canada the place a whole lot of hundreds of Sikhs have emigrated.

The rapper was famend for fusing trendy hip-hop and basic Punjabi music, which linked Punjabi audiences throughout borders.

As Moose Wala’s profession progressed, his songs turned extra socially, culturally and politically aware.

He made historical past when he turned the primary singer from India to carry out at Wireless Festival in 2021.

Guns and tractors

But his music had been controversial.

He had an affinity for weapons, which might generally characteristic in his music movies and on his social media platforms. But his father tells Sky News, this portrayal is way from the correct model 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 an enormous celeb, he was a right down to earth man.

“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.”

The household did not come to Gravesend typically, however had a base right here the place household and mates would welcome them with open arms.

We have been proven the place Moose Wala and his household would keep when within the UK.

His mattress remains to be made

The singer’s mattress remains to be made. They have not moved his belongings since his final go to in September 2021 simply months earlier than his life was reduce brief.

“That’s where he’d play on the PlayStation,” Mr Singh tells me.

His mates deliver out his harmonium: “This is what he’d use to practise his music here,” says his father.

Read extra:
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 non-public place that Mr Singh wished to indicate us though it was clearly a painful reminder of his son not being right here.

“I don’t come into this room a lot.

“It brings again previous reminiscences and emotions when I’m on this room.”

“I get a lump in my throat, so I can not sit right here for too lengthy.”

He is the daddy of a person as soon as dubbed one in every of India’s most forceful musical exports, however behind this celeb tragedy is solely a father determined for solutions.