A human rights organisation has filed a complaint against the parents of slain Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala over videos purportedly showing their two-year-old younger son making gun-like gestures during a hologram concert in Toronto, Canada.
Lawyers for Human Rights International (LFHRI) has sent the complaint by speed post to the Mansa District Magistrate and the District Child Protection Unit. The organisation has sought an inquiry into the incident, counselling for the child’s parents, Balkaur Singh and Charan Kaur, and interim directions to prevent the child from being encouraged to make gun-like gestures at public or private events.
The complaint follows the circulation of videos from the ‘Sign to God World Tour’ hologram concert held at Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena on October 9. The videos show the child, named Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu and popularly known as ‘Nikka Sidhu’, imitating his late elder brother’s signature ‘thaapi’ gesture, in which the thigh is slapped, before making a pistol-like sign with his hand and purportedly saying, “tha tha tha”.
The incident has sparked a debate over the child’s exposure to such gestures and the responsibility of his parents.
LFHRI general secretary and advocate Navkiran Singh said the organisation believed the child should be kept away from violence and that his parents should receive counselling.
He said the organisation had also come across another video circulating on social media in which some people around the child allegedly appeared to teach or prompt him to make pistol-like gestures with his hands.
According to the organisation, the child’s appearance on stage and the gestures shown in the videos raised concerns about whether his age and mental state were being taken into consideration.
The organisation has sought preventive directions to ensure that the child is not encouraged to repeat such gestures at events. It has also stated that legal action under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act should be considered if the parents do not change their approach.
However, these are allegations and demands made by the organisation. The filing of a complaint does not establish that the parents have violated any law.
Advocate Gurvinder Singh Sandhu, who represents Balkaur Singh in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, said the family had not received any report or complaint from the competent authorities.
Defending the family’s position, Sandhu said parents had the right to decide how to raise their child and that the context of the gestures, including whether they were related to a song, should also be considered.
He also suggested that the family was being repeatedly drawn into controversies. According to him, a controversy had earlier erupted following the child’s birth as well.
There has been no official response from the family specifically addressing the latest complaint in the information available so far.
Jagtar Singh, District Child Protection Officer (DCPO), Mansa, told The Tribune that he would check on Monday whether his office had received the complaint.
The next step will depend on whether the complaint has been received by the concerned authorities and whether an inquiry is initiated.
Moosewala’s parents and his younger brother are currently abroad as part of the hologram tour.
The latest development comes more than two years after a separate controversy surrounding the birth of Moosewala’s younger brother.
Charan Kaur, who was around 58 at the time, gave birth to Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu in March 2024 through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF).
Following the birth, the Union Health Ministry sought a report from the Punjab government regarding the age limit prescribed under the law governing assisted reproductive technology. Balkaur Singh had accused the state government of harassing the family over the matter.
The latest complaint has once again brought the family into public discussion, this time over the child’s appearance at the Toronto concert and the gestures shown in the viral videos.
Sidhu Moosewala, whose real name was Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, was shot dead in Jawaharke village in Mansa district on May 29, 2022. His killing triggered widespread outrage across Punjab and led to an ongoing criminal case.
The latest complaint concerns his younger brother and the circumstances surrounding the viral concert videos. As of now, the allegations made by LFHRI have not been established through an official inquiry, and the district child protection authorities are yet to confirm receipt of the complaint.