Jalandhar: Placards, posters and youngsters wearing T-shirts of Sidhu Moosewala aka Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu (28) sought justice for the slain Punjabi singer, as a sea of people gathered to attend the antim ardas and bhog ceremony – the final Sikh ritual performed after a person's death – at the Grain Market in Mansa on Wednesday.

Moosewala was shot dead on May 29 at Jawahar ke village, Mansa district by unidentified assailants, sending shock waves across Punjab and the world. He was cremated on May 31 in his family's fields at Moosa village in Mansa.

Even his cremation saw a gathering of lakhs from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi. In Canada, the US and the UK, special prayer meets and candle marches were held by the Punjabi diaspora.

Moosewala's appeal could be gauged from the fact that despite the heat, youth, children and the elderly kept pouring into Mansa until the bhog ceremony was over. Those who could not reach the grain market paid tributes to Moosewala at the samadhi (tomb) in his farmland.

After the ceremony, people remained stuck in a 15-kilometre-long traffic jam on the Mansa-Sirsa Road which connects Punjab and Haryana. Estimates say 1.50 lakh people attended the bhog ceremony.

Teary-eyed fans waited for their turn to offer last prayers in a serpentine queue until the afternoon, when Moosewala’s parents arrived on stage to address the gathering. Balkaur Singh, Moosewala's father, thanked the people for standing by his family in their hour of grief.

He said the people's love and support gave him the courage to bid adieu to his son. “I can’t become Sidhu. But I promise, I will try to follow in his footsteps and keep him alive amongst you through his music,” he said.

He said May 29 was a black day for him. “Mere Punjab nu es aag cho kad lo, aj mera ghar ujdeya, kal kisi hor da na ujde (Save Punjab from this fire. Today, my house has been ruined, tomorrow it should not be someone else’s. Provide me justice),” he said, amidst slogans of ‘Sidhu Moosewala amar rahe’.

Shedding light on his son’s life, he said, “Sidhu led a simple life. He was just like any other boy of his age. This child could never get full pocket money. He used to go to his school by cycling 24 kilometres daily, as there was no bus service to our village. He did his class XII in non-medical and would sell his songs to earn a living. Later, he did engineering at Guru Nanak Engineering College in Ludhiana. He then cleared IELTS and went to Canada. Even after achieving so much success, he never kept a wallet and would ask for money from me.”

"I was like Sidhu's shadow, following him every day. But on May 29, when he was about to leave, I told him that I will also come along. But he said that as I had come from the fields and my clothes were not good, I should stay at home. Sidhu said he was going out to drink juice... I regret not going with him that day,” Balkaur Singh said.

On the ongoing investigation into the murder, Moosewala’s father said the Punjab government should be given time to conduct the investigation. “But if justice is not delivered, we will announce our next move and turn to the people for justice,” he said.

The family had earlier met Union home minister Amit Shah in Chandigarh, seeking an NIA/CBI probe into their son’s killing.

He also clarified that Moosewala had himself decided to join politics and contest in Punjab's assembly elections earlier this year. “His decision had nothing to do with Congress leader Amarinder Singh Raja Warring. Rather Raja Warring and I tried to stop him from joining politics,” he said.

Moosewala's mother Charan Kaur said Sidhu's fans can pay tribute to him by planting trees and looking after them. This, she said, will help tackle the problem of pollution. The family distributed saplings to those who attended the bhog ceremony.

Fans from near and far turn emotional

Moosewala’s fans arranged stalls to tie turbans, as his family had made an appeal for people to wear turbans. Free badges, T-shirts bearing Moosewala’s photos, lyrics from his hit songs and placards with ‘Justice for Sidhu Moosewala’ written on them were also distributed by volunteers.

Many people had with tattoos of Moosewala on their arms.

At the never-ending rush in Mansa, people arrived by tractors, buses, cars and two-wheelers – and some even came walking. Moosewala’s family and the SGPC had arranged a langar for the gathering.

A school going boy Gurpartap Singh, who lives in the Badanpur village of Patiala, reached Mansa along with his grandmother. He said, “Sidhu Moosewala was my favourite singer. I compelled my grandmother to take me to Mansa so that I could pay my last respects.”

Another Jalandhar based youth reached Mansa on his bicycle bearing a box ‘295’, a reference to Moosewala's hit song. He had cycled for 15 km. “I wanted to pay my last respects to my favourite singer. It is hard to believe he is no more. We will ensure his legacy lives on through his songs,” he said.

A blood donation camp was also organised on this occasion.

Towards the end of the ceremony, some agitated fans also raised anti-AAP government slogans at the venue.

While several popular Punjabi singers and artists paid tributes to Moosewala on social media, only a few arrived at the bhog ceremony. Amrit Mann, Kulwinder Billa, Kaur B, Mandy Thakkar, Resham Anmol and Aman Hayer were present.

Among politicians who attended the bhog ceremony were Punjab cabinet minister Dr Baljeet Kaur, AAP MLAs Gurpreet Singh Banawali, Balkar Sidhu, Gurmeet Singh Khudian and Narinder Kaur Bharaj.

AAP leaders also handed over a condolence message on behalf of CM Bhagwant Mann to Moosewala’s parents which read, “The untimely and tragic demise of the young artist has given shock to his fans spread across the globe. The state government is fully with the bereaved family members in this hour of grief. The entire state government pays tribute to the blessed singer who has carved a niche for himself in the vast field of music and entertainment.”

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Congress candidate for the Sangrur bypoll Dalvir Goldy, Kulbir Zira, Harminder Gill, SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann and Balwinder Singh Bhunder from the SAD were also present.

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