A total of 25 entry and exit bullet wounds were found in the body of popular singer Sidhu Moosewala, a panel of five doctors have concluded in the post-mortem report, officials familiar with the matter said on Monday. Excessive bleeding could have resulted in death, an official added.
The 28-year-old singer, who contested the 2022 Punjab assembly elections on a Congress ticket, was shot dead on Sunday while he was driving his SUV in Punjab’s Mansa. He was declared dead at the hospital.
On Monday, the Punjab Police said they detained about 10 men in connection with the killing, with an official saying their roles were being ascertained.
According to medical officials, Moosewala’s right elbow was broken due to several bullet injuries. “Apart from the elbow, he sustained maximum bullets on the chest and abdomen, and two bullets in the right leg. (There was) injury to internal organs of the deceased. Excessive bleeding could have resulted in death, mainly. Viscera samples sent for further examination,” the official added, citing the report.
{{/usCountry}}According to medical officials, Moosewala’s right elbow was broken due to several bullet injuries. “Apart from the elbow, he sustained maximum bullets on the chest and abdomen, and two bullets in the right leg. (There was) injury to internal organs of the deceased. Excessive bleeding could have resulted in death, mainly. Viscera samples sent for further examination,” the official added, citing the report.
{{/usCountry}}Early on Monday, Moosewala’s family refused to allow his autopsy, demanding an investigation by a central agency in his killing.
In an emotional letter to chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Moosewala’s father Balkaur Singh sought the involvement of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the National Investigation Agency in the probe, besides an apology from Punjab director general of police VK Bhawra for linking his son’s killing with gang rivalry. “His mother still asks me where is Shubhdeep and when he will come back. What should I say? I hope our family gets justice,” read the letter.
“The responsibility of the officers who accessed the security of my son and those who made the order of withdrawal of his security public must be fixed. My son has made Punjab proud of his success, but the DGP presented his murder due to a gang war. The DGP must apologise publicly,” it added.
The CM agreed to the demands, following which the family gave their consent for the post-mortem.
Expressing shock over the killing, Mann said: “The Punjab government will request the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court to get the case inquired into by a sitting judge...”
The state government will extend full cooperation to this panel, including roping in any of the central agencies such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA), he said.
The Punjab home department later sent a letter to the chief justice of Punjab and Haryana high court, requesting him to get the inquiry conducted by a high court judge. “The government is very concerned about this serious incident and would like to get to the root of the issue to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice,” principle home secretary Anurag Verma wrote in the letter.
Meanwhile, a key suspect, along with four others, was detained from Uttarakhand’s Dehradun in a joint operation by the state police and their Punjab counterparts.
This suspect was found hiding among pilgrims going for the Hemkund Sahib yatra in the mountains, said a senior official familiar with the matter, adding that five others have been detained from different parts of Punjab.
The Punjab Police will now ascertain the role played by them in the singer’s murder, the official added.
An abandoned Alto car, allegedly snatched from a resident of Bhunder village, has also been recovered from the Barnala-Jalandhar Road in Moga district, police said, adding that they suspect that the assailants might have fled in this vehicle after committing the murder.
A forensic team is examining the car, said police.