YouTube has eliminated a viral music video in India launched posthumously by murdered Sikh rapper Sidhu Moose Wala following a criticism by the federal government.

The music “SYL” talks in regards to the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal which has been on the centre of a long-running water dispute between the late Sikh rapper’s residence state of Punjab and neighbouring Haryana.

The monitor, launched posthumously on Thursday, additionally touches on different delicate subjects corresponding to lethal riots concentrating on the Sikh neighborhood that broke out in India in 1984 and the storming of an essential Sikh temple in Amritsar by the military the identical yr.

It had garnered practically 30 million views and three.3 million likes on the singer’s YouTube web page earlier than it was pulled down over the weekend. 

“This content is not available on this country domain due to a legal complaint from the government,” stated a message posted on the music hyperlink.

The music remains to be obtainable in different nations.

In an electronic mail to AFP, a YouTube spokesperson stated it had solely eliminated the music in “keeping with local laws and our Terms of Service after a thorough review”.

The authorities didn’t instantly reply to enquiries.

Moose Wala’s household termed the removing of the music “unjust” and appealed to the federal government to take again the criticism, native media studies stated.

“They can ban the song but they cannot take Sidhu out of the hearts of the people. We will discuss legal options with lawyers,” uncle Chamkaur Singh was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times each day.

Moose Wala – additionally recognized by his delivery title Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu – was shot lifeless in his automotive within the northern state of Punjab final month.

The 28-year-old was a well-liked musician each in India and amongst Punjabi communities overseas, particularly in Canada and Britain.

His dying sparked anger and outrage from followers from the world over.

Last week, Indian police arrested three males accused of murdering Moose Wala and seized a cache of weaponry together with a grenade launcher.

The males had allegedly acted on the behest of Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar and his confederate Lawrence Bishnoi who’s at the moment in jail in India.

Moose Wala rose to fame with catchy songs that attacked rival rappers and politicians, portraying himself as a person who fought for his neighborhood’s pleasure, delivered justice and gunned down enemies.

He was criticised for selling gun tradition by his music movies, during which he recurrently posed with firearms.

His homicide additionally put the highlight on organised crime in Punjab, a significant transit route for medication getting into India from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Many observers hyperlink the narcotics commerce – largely heroin and opium – to an uptick in gang-related violence and the usage of unlawful arms within the state.