Chandigarh, March 7 (IANS) The parents of singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was shot dead last year, on Tuesday staged a sit-in protest in front of the Punjab assembly complex in Chandigarh, seeking justice for their son.
Carrying placards, father Balkaur Singh and mother Charan Kaur told the media it has been almost a year of the crime occurrence and the main culprits have not been arrested.
They demanded that the case should be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as crucial witnesses "are being eliminated and nothing is going in their favour."
"Enough time has been given to the police and the administration to act. But the reality is the case is being suppressed. We are forced to sit outside the Vidhan Sabha," the singer's father said.
"Till the state assembly is in session, we will sit outside in protest," he added.
The elderly couple were accompanied by Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and state unit chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring.
Later the couple ended the sit-in protest on the assurance of Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal who assured them at the spot that the Aam Aadmi Party government was with them.
"It is your own government, you do not need to sit on dharna. All culprits, including the masterminds, will be arrested. Your meeting will be fixed with the chief minister after March 20," he said.
Dhaliwal told the media that 29 people have been arrested in the case, while two of the accused were killed in an encounter and five are to be brought from outside India for which the state is in touch with the Centre and other agencies.
Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, was shot dead by gangsters in Mansa district on May 29, 2022.
As Bhagwanpuria's counsel Deepak Sharma said that there was danger to the life of his client, the Punjab Police said then keeping the threats in mind, they brought extra vehicles with armed police personnel for the safety of the accused.
According to the cause list uploaded on the apex court website, a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and J.K. Maheshwari will pronounce the order on January 25. The apex court had reserved its order on Mishra's plea on January 19.
Accused Aaftab Amin Poonawala is accused of killing his live-in partner Walkar and then chopping her body into several pieces and storing them in a refrigerator before disposing of them in the Chhatarpur forest near his house over a period of three months.
After the process of identification is over, the bodies will be brought to Ghazipur. On January 16, family members of the four youths were sent to Kathmandu by road with head of Chak Jainab village Vijay Jaiswal, nayab tehsildar and a revenue inspector to claim and bring back the bodies.
Also on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on the occasion of Parakram Jayanti and said: "Today, on Parakram Diwas, I pay homage to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and recall his unparalleled contribution to India's history."
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Health Minister Balbir Singh said the inauguration program would be held in Amritsar on January 27. The Chief Minister will inaugurate the clinics, while AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will attend the programme as the chief guest.
