Thousands Mourn Murdered Indian Rapper

Thousands of mourners gathered Tuesday for the cremation of Indian hip hop star Sidhu Moose Wala, whose murder at the weekend shocked fans at home and in Punjabi communities from Canada to Britain.

Moose Wala — whose real name is Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu — was shot dead in his car by unidentified assailants in the northern state of Punjab on Sunday. He was 28.

Police said the murder was linked to inter-gang rivalry, and that a Canada-based gangster known as GoldyBrar had claimed responsibility.

Crowds thronged Moose Wala’s hearse as it reached the rapper’s palatial house in his native village of Moosa in Punjab.

Thousands then lined the roads as his body was taken for cremation on a trolley decorated with flowers and pulled by a tractor — reportedly the singer’s favourite one.