Singer Sidhu Moose Wala's Parents Hug Coffin In Tearful Goodbye

Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala's grieving parents gazed at his coffin and wept as a sea of mourners, fans and others gathered for his funeral.

Visuals showed Sidhu Moose Wala's mother hugging the glass coffin in which his body was kept. She kept staring at her son. As his father broke down, she turned to wipe his tears.

His father couldn't let go of the coffin and had to be held as the body was taken away.

Thousands gathered at the singer's ancestral village for the cremation.

The 28-year-old rapper, who collected a huge fan following at a young age, was shot dead by attackers on Sunday evening.

He was driving an SUV when the attackers blocked his car and fired more than 30 shots at him. An autopsy revealed more than two dozen bullet wounds in his body.

Sidhu Moose Wala died on the spot. His father Balkaur Singh, who was in a car right behind, saw the attack and took him to hospital.

The incident took place two days after the Punjab Police withdrew the security cover of 424 people, including Sidhu Moose Wala. He had joined the Congress in December, just before the Punjab election.

Balkaur Singh wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann demanding that his son's murder be investigated by a sitting judge of the High Court.

He also demanded an apology from the Punjab police, asking for action against the officers who publicized the orders to withdraw Sidhu Moose Wala's security along with that of other "VIPs" in the state. 

The Punjab High Court has asked for a detailed report on the number of people whose security was reduced or withdrawn and the reasons.

There has been an outpouring of grief on social media from fans and celebrities, not just in India.