Congress leader and singer-rapper Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead in a firing that took place in the Mansa district of Punjab on Sunday. 

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

Moose Waala was Congress’ candidate in Mansa in Punjab’s assembly elections this year. The 28-year-old joined the grand old party earlier this year and was welcomed by Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. 

Here, we take a look at the artist-turned-politician’s early life and career.

Just three years ago, Moose Wala began his career in music, releasing superhit songs like G Wagon, So High and more. Born on June 17, 1993, in a small village in Mansa, Punjab, he started his career by writing the song “License”. His father is an army veteran, and his mother, Charan Kaur, became the village sarpanch in 2018.

Also Read: Why politics? ‘Gangster rap’ star Sidhu Moosewala wants to transform system

After studying electrical engineering from Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana, Moose Wala did his post-graduation from Humber College, Canada.  

He rose to fame when his debut music album was ranked 66th on the Billboard Canadian albums chart. Last year, Guardian named him among the ’50 new artists for 2020’.

Moose Wala was no stranger to  controversy. From promoting gun violence to boasting about his court cases, Moose Wala was in for plenty of scrutiny and criticism. He was booked under two sections of the Arms Act, holed up to avoid police arrest, and was later out on bail. And when the media had questioned him regarding his cases, he retorted, “Criminal cases are registered only against real men”.

Despite the controversies, his fan following only seemed to grow, with views of his YouTube music videos skyrocketing. His song ‘Old Skool’ amassed a whopping 236 million views.

In December 2020, Moose Wala actively participated in the farmers’ Chalo Delhi protest and he reached the Tikri border.

His joining the Congress raised eyebrows due to his pending court cases. Regardless, politician and television personality Navjot Singh Sidhu welcomed, on Twitter, Moose Wala to the party earlier this year.