Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala

Two days after Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala released a song named ‘Sanju’ on social media platforms, in which the singer compared the case registered under Arms Act against him for firing an Ak-47 rifle to the case against actor Sanjay Dutt, 2006 CWG silver medal winner, 2006 Asian Games bronze medallist, and Beijing Olympian shooter Avneet Sidhu Hundal has criticised such singers for glorifying gun culture in Punjab.

The 38-year-old, who is posted as a SP with the Punjab Police in Mohali, also believes that if youth in Punjab are fond of weapons then they should start rifle or pistol shooting and do the nation proud at the international level.

“If we see it historically, Punjab has a culture of keeping weapons as there have been warrior clans and warrior heroes in our culture. But then to display weapons to promote gun culture among youth by singers and writers is absolutely wrong. Such songs do have an effect over the youth and society. As an international shooter, I have been using weapons for more than 20 years and we respect weapons and see them as a medium to win medals for the country and follow our passion for shooting. If youth is fond of weapons, then he can opt for shooting and win laurels for the country and Punjab rather than public display of weapons, which such songs glorify,” said Avneet, who was one of the five sportspersons who were promoted to the rank of SP in Punjab Police last month.

Earlier in May, a video showing Moosewala shooting at a firing range at a village near Badbar village in Barnala district had gone viral. Post that, the Sangrur Police had registered a case under disaster management act and another FIR was registered against the singer at Dhuri Sadar police station after video of him firing from his pistol at Ladda Kothi ranges surfaced later. Later, the police also added Sections 25 and 30 of Arms Act, 1959, to both the FIRs and Sangrur court had granted the singer bail on Wednesday this week.

Moosewala’s new song has got more than one crore views on YouTube till Saturday evening with many users praising the singer too and Avneet finds this amusing.

“Releasing a song glorifying a case of Arms Act and talking about getting bail and saying things like ‘Case Chalde Han Mardan Te’ (cases are registered against men) is right in which civilised society? There is a limit to tolerating such songs and glorifying the acts of breaking law and taking in your own hands. As a celebrity, singers should be aware of such things and not glorify such acts of them, which were against the law. Talking of gun culture being associated with Jatts/Sikhs in their songs, it needs to be stopped. I am Jatt Sikh and I am proud of my heritage. But that does not mean that I should flaunt weapons. My medals in shooting authenticate my pride of being a Jatt Sikh and that’s the best way to do it,” added Avneet.

Avneet’s husband and former Indian hockey captain Rajpal Singh too believes that there should be an end to such songs and glorification of weapons and also showing hockey as a weapon in some songs. “Glorification of weapons and hockey as a weapon in songs is wrong at any level. There have been good songs too. I remember that Jasbir Jassi and Gurpreet Ghuggi sang a song in early 2000’s titled Kyun jattan layi ulta sidha boli jande. They questioned the association of guns and murders with Jatts and told that Jatts are also players, doctors and teachers. Even if anybody has a weapon, its flaunting should not be done. In hockey, two teams of 11 players each are controlled by only two officials and discipline is the main thing there. Discipline remains the key there and that’s what today’s youth and singers need to realise to propagate in their songs and nor breaking law,” said Singh, who is also an SP with the Punjab Police.