The Punjab Police has arrested another suspect in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. Earlier, they had arrested two suspects—Pavan and Naseeb, according to multiple reports. The latest detention has been identified as Devendra.
BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the Centre is ready to get the killing of Moosewala probed by a central agency like NIA if the Punjab government recommends it. Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa also wrote to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, urging him to "transfer the murder case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the National Investigation Agency (NIA) so that justice can be delivered to the family at the earliest".
Sirsa visited Moosewala's village in Mansa and met the singer's family to express his condolences.
Asked to comment on the demand of the singer's family to get the death investigated by a central agency, the BJP leader told reporters, "If they want it to be probed by NIA, we will get it probed." He, however, said the Punjab government will have to recommend for a probe by NIA or CBI after which the central agency will take over the investigation. Replying to another question, he expressed concern over the 'deteriorating' law and order situation in the state.
Bajwa also targeted the AAP-led state government over the handling of the case.
"Firstly, you (government) had constituted an Anti-Gangster Task Force headed by an officer of ADGP-rank and publicised it as an efficient force which would put an end to the menace of gangsters. However, this force proved to be a big failure as it could neither anticipate nor prevent the murder of Sidhu Moosewala."
"Secondly, this special force did not even get to know that gangsters had access to weapons like AK-47 and AN-94. Therefore, to expect any action from such a special force which your government has created would be asking for too much as they did not even object to the reduction of security of Moosewala and have not been able to arrest the actual culprits who are openly taking responsibility of the crime," the Congress leader said in his letter to the chief minister.
