Statue of Sidhu Moosewala shot at in Haryana; Mother calls it a “wound to her soul”

A statue of late Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala was shot at by unidentified assailants in Sawantkheda village of Dabwali in Haryana. The statue, installed last year by Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) state president Digvijay Chautala, was damaged in the incident. The firing reportedly took place at night and led to widespread reactions across social platforms.

Following the incident, a video showing the shooting was sent to Digvijay Chautala from a foreign mobile number on July 29. The message included a threat that Moosewala’s sympathisers would be targeted next. A case was registered at Dabwali police station in Sirsa district. Police have begun investigations into the incident.

Sidhu Moosewala’s mother, Charan Kaur, reacted to the attack through an Instagram post written in Punjabi. She described it as a “wound to her soul” and wrote that the enemies of her son were not leaving him alone even after his death. She added, “My son remained the voice of the people's rights, and an attempt is being made to silence him even after he went to the Almighty.”

She further wrote that Moosewala’s memory would not fade and that he was “a movement that will always continue.” In her post, she stated, “I want to tell everyone that one day, the guilty will definitely be punished for their actions. Our silence is not our defeat.” The Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the firing.

In a social media post, individuals named Goldy Dhillon and Arzoo Bishnoi warned that those portraying Moosewala as a martyr were misleading the public. They named Digvijay Chautala and singer Gagan Khokri, and said statues should only be installed for figures like Bhagat Singh or martyred soldiers. Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29, 2022. He had joined the Congress party in December 2021 ahead of the Punjab assembly elections.