New Delhi: More than two years after the murder of Punjabi music icon Sidhu Moose Wala, the alleged mastermind, Satinderjit Singh, also known as Goldy Brar, has broken his silence. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Brar spoke about the motives behind the killing, stating that Moose Wala’s “arrogance” and “mistakes” left his faction with “no option but to kill him.”
“In his arrogance, he (Sidhu Moose Wala) made some mistakes that could not be forgiven. We had no option but to kill him. He had to face the consequences of his actions. It was either him or us. As simple as that,” Brar told the BBC.
The tragic incident occurred on a late May afternoon in 2022, when Moose Wala’s black Mahindra Thar SUV was ambushed near his native village in Punjab’s Mansa district. His vehicle was riddled with over 100 bullets.
Goldy Brar, a native of Punjab’s Sri Muktsar Sahib, is a close associate of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Operating from Canada, Brar is officially designated a terrorist under India’s stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), with an Interpol Red Corner Notice and an outstanding non-bailable warrant for his arrest.
“Lawrence was in touch with Sidhu. I don’t know who introduced them, and I never asked. But they did speak,” Brar said in an interview with the BBC, adding that “Sidhu used to send ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’ messages to flatter Lawrence.”
The Home Ministry has accused him of involvement in high-grade weapons and explosives smuggling across the India-Pakistan border via drones, and of conspiring with the banned Babbar Khalsa International to disrupt peace through targeted killings and recruitment.
According to Brar, the genesis of the conflict stemmed from a seemingly kabaddi tournament in Punjab. He claimed that Moose Wala was actively promoting their rivals, upsetting Lawrence Bishnoi and others in their gang. Though attempts were made to de-escalate the tension through an intermediary, Vicky Middukhera (an associate of Bishnoi’s), the situation escalated fatally when Middukhera himself was gunned down in Mohali in August 2021.
“That’s a village our rivals come from. He was promoting our rivals. That’s when Lawrence and others were upset with him. They threatened Sidhu and said they wouldn’t spare him,” Brar added.
Brar squarely blamed Moose Wala for Middukhera’s death, accusing the singer of leveraging his political connections, wealth, and influence to aid their adversaries. “Everyone knew Sidhu’s role… nobody listened to our plea, So we took it upon ourselves. When decency falls on deaf ears, it’s the gunshot that gets heard” Brar asserted.
He chillingly justified his actions as a necessary retribution: “When decency falls on deaf ears, it’s the gunshot that gets heard.” Dismissing the Indian legal system as ineffective, Brar declared, “Law. Justice. There’s no such thing… I did what I had to do for my brother. I have no remorse whatsoever.”
