On a warm May evening in 2022, Sidhu Moose Wala was taking his black Mahindra Thar SUV for its usual spin through dusty lanes near his village in the northern Indian state of Punjab when, within minutes, two cars began tailing him.

CCTV footage later showed them weaving through narrow turns, sticking close. Then, at a bend in the road, one of the vehicles lurched forward, cornering Moose Wala’s SUV against a wall. He was trapped. Moments later, the shooting began.

Mobile footage captured the aftermath. His SUV was riddled with bullets, the windscreen shattered, the bonnet punctured.

In trembling voices, bystanders expressed their shock and concern.

“Someone get him out of the car.”

“Get some water.”

“Moose Wala has been shot.”

However, it was too late. He was declared dead on arrival at hospital, hit by 24 bullets, a post-mortem later revealed. The 28-year-old rapper, one of modern-day Punjab’s biggest cultural icons, had been gunned down in broad daylight.

A cousin and a friend who had been in the car with Moose Wala at the time of the ambush were injured, but survived.

In mere hours, police was sure about who ordered the killing to take place. It was Goldy Brar, a gangster from Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang that ordered 6 gunmen to shoot the singer. Brar even took responsibility of the murder.

However, even to this day, no one has been put on trial and Brar and Lawrence still roam free with their whereabouts unknown to anyone.

The Question of Ethics