Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead in a firing that took place in the Mansa district on Sunday.

Two other people were wounded in the incident, as per reports. The 28-year-old, who was in a critical condition, was taken to the civil hospital in the district.

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Moosewala joined the Congress in December 2021, a couple of months before the Punjab Assembly polls.

He joined the party in the presence of state Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and party state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in Chandigarh.

“Sidhu Moosewala is joining our family. I welcome him in the Congress fold,” Navjot Singh Sidhu had said, while describing Moosewala as a youth icon and an “international figure”. “

Channi, on the other hand, said Moosewala became a “big artist with his sheer hard work and won hearts millions of people with his songs.”

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Moosewala, whose real name is Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, hails from Moosa village in Mansa district and his mother is a village head. 

Speaking to Indian Express about his decision to join politics, the 28-year-old Punjabi singer had said, “I am not coming into politics for status or to earn praise. I want to become a part of the system to transform it. I am joining Congress to raise the voice of people. I am joining Congress as the party has leaders, who have come from common families. For instance Cabinet minister Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who has risen from a common family.”

Also Read: Sidhu Moose Wala shooting: 10 things to know about the political fallout

The singer, who enjoys a massive fan following among youths, was booked in 2020 for allegedly promoting violence and gun culture through his song ‘Sanju’. This was after two videos that showed him flaunting guns went viral on social. In one of them, the singer was training with an AK-47 gun. The video also featured police officers and subsequently, six cops were suspended and the singer was booked under Arms Act by the Barnala police. 

This story was first published on December 3, 2021. It was updated on May 30, 2022.