Video Producer/Editor: Shohini Bose
A statue of deceased Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala was unveiled at his native village in Punjab's Mansa district on Sunday, 17 July.
While unveiling the 6.5-foot tall statue, Moose Wala’s father Balkaur Singh broke down and said that it was “unfortunate to see him in stone at 28,” The Times of India reported.
The statue was taken to its installation spot, located within the singer’s fields, on his favourite 5911 tractor, the report added.
Moose Wala’s fans praised his statue almost 50 days after the iconic Punjabi singer was tragically murdered by multiple shooters.
The sculptor, Iqbal Gill from Manuke, sculpted the metallic fibre statue over 25 days and handed it over to the family. Moose Wala’s parents, Balkaur Singh and Charan Kaur unveiled the figure.
Unveiling Iqbal’s work in Moosa, Balkaur Singh said:
"I can't bear to see my son as a statue at 28. We wait for justice. The killers, whether sitting on foreign soil or here, should be punished. Why give security to someone who claims openly that he killed Moose Wala."
However, this is not the first installation done in the memory of Moose Wala.
The Times of India noted that previously, a fan had installed a bust of Moose Wala at the spot, attracting a large crowd on a daily basis. Moose Wala’s bereaved family built a shed over the area and appealed to visitors to plant a sapling in the memory of the singer.
Ghal Kalan’s Manjit Singh sculpted a bust of Moose Wala by joining three layers. The Times of India quoted Singh as saying:
“I put all my energies in making it to the liking of Moose Wala's fans and the family. The family approved its installation."
Moose Wala's Murder
Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead in a village in Punjab's Mansa district on Sunday, 29 May.
The murder came a day after Punjab Police curtailed Moose Wala's security cover, along with that of 423 others, as part of the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's crackdown on VIP culture.
Moose Wala had contested the Punjab Assembly polls on a Congress ticket from Mansa this year and was defeated by AAP candidate Dr Vijay Singla by a margin of 63,323 votes.
(With inputs from Times of India.)
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