The murder of a singer in the Northern Indian state of Punjab, a day after his security cover was trimmed, has sparked outrage.

28 year old Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, was shot by unidentified person while he was travelling in the state’s Mansa district on Sunday evening, where two others were injured in the attack.

The murder led to a political storm in the state, with opposition leaders criticizing the government and police.

State police chief, VK Bhawra had said on Sunday that a Canada-based gangster had claimed responsibility for the attack.

However Moosewala’s family demanded an apology from Mr Bhawra for linking the death to gang rivalry without a proper investigation.

On Monday, Mr Bhawra clarified in a statement that he hadn’t said that Moosewala was a “gangster or affiliated with gangsters”.

Punjab’s Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann has ordered an inquiry led by a high court judge into the incident.

Opposition leaders have questioned why the singer’s security cover was scaled back.

Police said that Moosewala’s security detail had been reduced to two commandos from four, and that these officers weren’t traveling with the singer when he was attacked.

He was among over 400 people in Punjab whose security detail was withdrawn or scaled back recently by the government.

Bbc/Adebukola Aluko

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