Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann visits Sidhu Moosewala's house; earlier, villagers force AAP MLA to return

Tribune News Service

Sukhmeet Singh/Ruchika M Khanna

Bathinda/Chandigarh, June 3

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday visited the house of Sidhu Moosewala, days after the Punjabi singer was shot dead.

Mann reached Moosa village to express his condolences to the bereaved family. Heavy police security was deployed outside Moosewala's house.

A few people earlier held a protest in Mansa against Punjab Police for allegedly stopping them from entering Moosa village by deploying heavy security ahead of the Chief Minister's visit.

However, the police said no-one was being stopped from entering the village.

Around 1,500 police personnel were deployed in the morning in and around Moosa village for the CM's visit. 

AAP MLA Gurpreet Singh, who reached Moosewala's house ahead of Mann's visit, also faced protest and had to return.

The protesters raised slogans against the state government.

"Our cars are being stopped from entering the village. Our relatives' vehicles are not being allowed to enter," a villager claimed.

Senior administration and police officials reached the spot of protest to calm down the situation.

AAP had drawn criticism as no MLA or minister had visited the family or attended the singerr’s cremation on Wednesday.

However, on Thursday, Finance Minister Harpal Cheema was the first AAP leader to meet Moosewala’s father.

AAP has accused the opposition parties of playing "dirty politics" over the death.    

APP accused the Congress of trying to stall the visit of the Chief Minister.

Party chief spokesperson Malwinder Singh Kang alleged that it is sad that when CM Mann was trying to go there, the Congress party leaders, including former MLA, were unnecessarily creating trouble.

“Entire Punjab is watching how Congress is playing dirty politics on such a sensitive issue. People of Punjab will not forgive them,” he said.

Kang said though the CM is trying to meet the family and doing his best to ensure that the culprits were nabbed, the Congress is busy playing politics over the dead.

On May 29, Moosewala was shot dead by armed men in Punjab's Mansa district, a day after the state government curtailed his security.

The AAP government has been under fire from the opposition parties over the pruning of security cover of 424 people and then allegedly making the list public.

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