Mann, Kejriwal should be booked for Moosewala's murder: BJP

New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday said that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal should be booked for the murder of popular Punjabi singer-turned-politician Sidhu Moosewala.

BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the AAP government in Punjab on Saturday had removed the security of several people and made the list viral on social media, putting them at risk.

"Law and order situation in Punjab is totally out of control now," Sirsa said, and demanded Mann and Kejriwal be booked for the murder of Moosewala.

In a series of tweets, in-charge of BJP's National Information and Technology Department, Amit Malviya said: "Punjab is up in flames! Is popular singer Sidhu Moosewala's cold blooded murder the change AAP promised? Arvind Kejriwal and Raghav Chaddha, who run Punjab by proxy, must be held accountable for this murder. Did they not know of the threat before withdrawing his security?

"As CM of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal himself has a large security entourage but leaders in a sensitive border state like Punjab must not have security. To makes matters worse, Punjab Govt released names of those whose security was withdrawn. It was an open invitation to assailants," he said.

Malviya further said that Kumar Vishwas, former founder-member of AAP, had warned of Arvind Kejriwal's dalliance with forces that are inimical to Punjab's peace and security. "It has just been a little over 2 months and we can already see the dangerous footprints of the bloody game that is afoot. Scary," Malviya added.

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said Kejriwal and AAP Rajya Sabha Member Raghav Chadha are directly responsible for the murder of Moosewala on Sunday, and both of them should apologise and explain what is happening in Punjab today.

"Those who do not understand and know Punjab, are running Punjab through remote control sitting in Delhi. Today, Kejriwal and Chadha are two persons controlling Punjab by sitting in Delhi," Patra said.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has expressed shock over the killing and appealed to stay calm.

"I am shocked and deeply saddened by the gruesome murder of Sidhu Moosewala. Nobody involved will be spared. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and his fans across the world. I appeal everyone to stay calm," Mann tweeted.

In less than 24 hours after his security was curtailed by the government, Moosewala, with a huge fan base running into millions, was shot dead by gangsters close to his ancestral village in Mansa in Punjab in broad daylight on Sunday, police said. He was 28.

Moosewala was taken to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead. The civil surgeon at Mansa hospital said Moosewala was brought dead, while the two others were referred to another hospital for treatment.