BBC releases Sidhu Moosewala's documentary amid his father's petition seeking stay on screening
PTC News Desk: Amid ongoing controversy over the screening of documentary based on legendary singer Sidhu Moosewala, the BBC World Service released it on YouTube ahead of the scheduled screening in Mumbai.
The documentary has been released on Moosewala’s birth anniversary, even as his father has filed a petition in a Mansa court in Punjab, seeking a stay on its screening.
The family is likely to release 3 fresh posthumously songs on his birth anniversary. Moosewala was born on June 11, 1993.
So far BBC has released two episodes of the documentary featuring some of Moosewala's friends, journalists and two senior police officials from Punjab and Delhi. The docu series also features audio interview of gangster Goldy Brar who is the prime accused in Moosewala murder case.
The BBC World Service, in its YouTube video description, wrote: “On 29 May 2022, Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala was murdered by hired hitmen who followed his car, shot him through the windscreen, and left him to die. As news of the killing spread across India and around the world, a gangster named Goldy Brar claimed responsibility for the hit. But three years later, no one has been convicted of this murder, the motives remain murky, and Goldy Brar is still on the run. BBC Eye Investigations has been talking to some of the people closest to Sidhu Moose Wala, tracing his rise from obscurity to stardom, finding out how he made enemies of India’s most feared gang, and asking why they wanted him dead.”
It adds, “It’s a story that takes us from the villages of rural India to the hip-hop scene of eastern Canada, from the turbulent history of Punjab to the contested politics of modern India, and from the shadowy world of organised crime to a chilling phone call with the fugitive gangster who says he ordered the hit. Based on hours of unseen archive and exclusive access to Sidhu’s friends and musical collaborators, the film features voices that have never spoken to the media before.”
Moosewala's father Balkaur Singh had opposed the screening and filed a petition seeking a legal stay on its broadcast.
Balkaur Singh alleges that the film contains unauthorised, sensitive, and previously unpublished content. According to him, the documentary includes private testimonies and references to an ongoing criminal investigation related to Moosewala's murder. He contends that its release could disturb public order, interfere with the judicial process, and violate the family’s legal rights, privacy, and the dignity of the deceased.
Sidhu Moosewala, a celebrated global icon was shot dead in broad daylight at Jawahar Ke village in Mansa district on May 29, 2022.
- PTC NEWS
