Amritsar: LGBTQ+ social media influencer and make-up artist Mad Sandhu, who had recently been involved in a controversy with a Nihang group over his social media content, clothing and older videos, was shot dead by unidentified assailants here on Saturday evening.Amritsar commissioner of police Harmanbir Singh Gill said Sandhu, son of a retired Punjab Police sub-inspector, had given his car for washing when he was attacked. “Police have solid leads and we will soon nab the culprits and ensure exemplary punishment for them,” Gill said.The incident took place around 6pm when two men riding a motorcycle allegedly opened fire at Sandhu on Loharka Road of Amritsar. He suffered multiple bullet injuries and died while being taken to a private hospital.A video purportedly showing the aftermath of the shooting surfaced on social media, showing Sandhu lying injured on the road as his associates tried to lift him. Empty bullet shells were also seen at the spot.Police found two empty shells from the crime scene and formed a team to identify and arrest the assailants, sources said.Sandhu, who had spoken publicly about gender issues and LGBTQ+ rights and had faced homophobic trolling on social media, had recently faced objections from a Nihang group over his online activities, clothing and older videos. The group had warned him against content it claimed could negatively impact Punjab’s culture and youth.Sandhu had subsequently said he had changed and stopped repeating his past mistakes, and alleged that his old videos were being reshared to create a controversy. Gill did not link the controversy to the killing. He said police were investigating multiple angles to establish the motive behind the murder.The killing comes amid over a year after social media content creator Kanchan Kumari, alias Kanchan Bhabhi, was strangled in Bathinda over what police said the accused considered “immoral content” that hurt Sikh sentiments.
