KOTKAPURA: Punjabi folk singer Dilshad Akhtar (30), who was shot dead by a drunken Deputy Superintendent of Punjab Police, Swaran Singh, for not singing the song he bid him to at a marriage celebration on January 28 will not go unsung with artistes and activists vowing to avenge the killing through a legal fight and bring the culprit to book and holding an annual musical Mela here in his memory.
‘Hundreds of singers, writers, political workers and human rights” activists gathered at his hometown here last week to pay last respects to the singer at a largely attended condolence meeting.
‘Speaking on the occasion, well known Punjabi singer Kuldip Manak said that a five member action committee of artistes had been formed which would not only bear the legal costs but also fight the battle to its logical conclusion.
Manak expressed doubts that attempts may yet be made to protect the accused and called out to friends and admirers to attend the first appearance of the accused in the district courts at Batala on February 19 to ensure that eyewitnesses were not intimidated in any way.
The police had first registered a case for death by accident but later it was ‘converted for murder following protests by artistes.
Veteran singer Mohd. Siddiqui said, “We had lost artistes like Virendra and Chamkila at the hands of militants. But it was a matter of grave regret that a singer is killed in days of peace by a supposed guardian of law.”
Welcoming the guidelines for conduct of policemen at functions issued by the Director General of Police, Punjab, Mr.O.P, Sharma, and the singer called out for their implementations in toto.
Recalling the events of the ill-fated function, Darshan Khan, an accompanist of Dilshad, said that the DSP, who was drunk, kept insisting that the singer sing even though they had packed up once, Dilshad complied with the request and the DSP and his armed gunman danced to his tune with the gunman firing a shot in the air.
Next, the DSP demanded that Dilshad sing a particular bawdy number, when the singer refused, the DSP snatched the gun from his escort and shot the singer dead.
Paying tributes to Dilshad, who had released 24 audio cassettes in a short career, singer Haqim Sufi said Dilshad had classical training from his father, Kishamal Shaugin of Takht Maulama village near Kotkapura and then Ustad Krishan Kant of Faridkot.
Sufi added that Dilshad had ‘sung lyrics of literary merit and shunned anything vulgar. Folk singer Narinder Beeba said that artistes had to fight against such Iumpenism by policemen.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr, AS. Bains, chairman of the Punjab Human Rights Organization, condemned the murder and demanded compensation for the victim’s wife and mother; He regretted that the government had sent no condolence message to the bereaved family.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 21, 1996
