On a Saturday evening in Amritsar, Mad Sandhu — a makeup artist, actor, and one of Punjab's most openly LGBTQ public voices — was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle, dying before he reached the hospital. A claim of responsibility appeared online within hours, framing the killing as moral correction, as though a life lived openly were an offense against the region. This is the second such murder of a social media personality in Punjab in little over a year, and the pattern it forms asks a question that outlasts any single investigation: who decides the boundaries of acceptable selfhood, and w
Punjabi Influencer Mad Sandhu Shot Dead in Amritsar; LGBTQ+ Activist Killed
Mad Sandhu was shot dead by two unidentified assailants; he died while being transported to hospital. A second unrelated killing occurred hours earlier in Ludhiana.
God has made me the way I am
Mark
Why does this pattern matter? Is this just crime, or is there something structural happening?
Mimi
It's the targeting. Both victims were influencers challenging norms—one openly gay, one posting bold content as a woman. Both were killed by people who saw themselves as moral enforcers. That's not random violence.
Luke
But we should be careful here. The Facebook post claiming responsibility—we don't know if it's real. The shooter's identity is unconfirmed. We're pattern-matching based on one confirmed case and one alleged one.
Mark
Fair. So what do we actually know for certain?
Mimi
We know Sandhu was shot twice around 6 p.m. by two men on a bike. We know he died in transit to the hospital. We know Kamal Kaur Bhabhi was murdered by Amritpal Singh Mehron, who was arrested and charged. Those are solid facts.
Luke
And the Facebook post is being investigated, not confirmed. That's an important distinction for readers.
Mark
What about the broader safety question for LGBTQ people in Punjab?
Mimi
That's the real concern. If this is ideologically motivated—and the Bhabhi case suggests it might be—then visibility becomes dangerous. Sandhu didn't hide. That took courage. It may have also made him a target.
Luke
We can say that pattern exists based on the evidence. We can't yet say whether Sandhu's killing was ideologically motivated or something else entirely. The investigation is ongoing.
Mark
So the story is: here's what happened, here's what we know about similar cases, here's what remains unknown.
Mimi
Exactly. And here's what that uncertainty means for people like Sandhu who want to live openly in Punjab.
Luke
Which is real, and worth naming—but as a question, not a conclusion.
Der Puls
- Mad Sandhu, who had spent years absorbing homophobic hatred online while refusing to conceal who he was, was shot twice and killed on a public road in Amritsar at around 6 p.m. on Saturday.
- Within hours of his death, a Facebook account posted a claim of responsibility declaring that Sandhu had 'spoilt' Punjab — framing murder as a form of cultural housekeeping.
- This killing follows the June 2025 murder of influencer Kamal Kaur Bhabhi, lured from her home and killed by a radical vigilante who objected to her content as immoral — a man later deported from the UAE and charged with murder.
- The interval between killings is narrowing, and the logic connecting them is consistent: content creators in Punjab who challenge norms around gender, sexuality, or tradition are being targeted with lethal precision.
- Police are investigating the Facebook post and pursuing leads, but the state's investigative posture has yet to interrupt a pattern that is becoming harder to call coincidental.
On a Saturday evening in Amritsar, Mad Sandhu — a makeup artist, actor, and one of Punjab's most openly LGBTQ public voices — was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle, dying before he reached the hospital. A claim of responsibility appeared online within hours, framing the killing as moral correction, as though a life lived openly were an offense against the region. This is the second such murder of a social media personality in Punjab in little over a year, and the pattern it forms asks a question that outlasts any single investigation: who decides the boundaries of acceptable selfhood, and what happens when that authority is seized by those willing to kill?
Mad Sandhu was shot twice by two men on a motorcycle on a Saturday evening in Amritsar and died before reaching the hospital. A makeup artist, stylist, and actor who had built a devoted following through Instagram reels and podcast appearances, Sandhu was one of Punjab's most visible LGBTQ personalities. He had spent years facing homophobic harassment online, and his response never wavered: God had made him exactly as he was. Within hours of his death, a Facebook account posted a claim of responsibility, stating that Sandhu had 'spoilt' Punjab. Police are investigating the post's authenticity and the shooters' identities, but neither has been confirmed.
Sandhu's murder is not the first of its kind. In June 2025, Kanchan Kumari — known online as Kamal Kaur Bhabhi — was lured from her Ludhiana home under the pretense of a brand partnership and killed by Amritpal Singh Mehron, a radical Nihang Sikh vigilante who called her content 'immoral' and 'vulgar.' Mehron filmed a justification of the killing before fleeing to the UAE. He was deported, arrested at Delhi airport in April 2026, and has since been charged with murder.
The shape of these two killings is difficult to ignore. In both cases, a content creator who challenged prevailing norms around gender or sexuality was targeted by someone who framed violence as moral correction. The victims were young, publicly visible, and unwilling to disappear. The perpetrators believed they were enforcing a social order. On the same day Sandhu was killed, a separate shooting in Ludhiana left one man dead and another fleeing on foot — its motive still unknown, its connection to Sandhu's death apparently nonexistent, but its presence a reminder that armed violence in the region is not confined to any single grievance. The climate in which certain people feel entitled to kill is wider than any one case.
Mad Sandhu was found bleeding on a road in Amritsar on Saturday evening, shot twice by two men on a motorcycle. The Punjabi influencer and makeup artist—one of the region's most visible LGBTQ personalities—died on the way to the hospital. Around 6 p.m., according to Sirivennela, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, the gunmen fired at him. Within hours, a Facebook account under the name 'Goldy Dhillon' posted a claim of responsibility, stating that Sandhu had "spoilt" Punjab. Police are treating the post as part of their investigation, though the account's authenticity and the shooters' identities remain unconfirmed.
Sandhu, whose full first name was Madhusudan, had built a substantial following through Instagram reels and viral videos. He shared styling tips, lifestyle content, and direct commentary on gender norms, LGBTQ acceptance, and pop culture. He appeared as a guest on podcasts discussing makeup, film, and gender issues. He had also acted in Punjabi films, including roles in the 'Oye Bhole Oye' series. His career began in the fashion industry as a stylist and assistant costume designer, working across Punjab and Mumbai before his social media presence exploded. Throughout his public life, he faced relentless homophobic harassment online. His consistent response was simple and uncompromising: "God has made me the way I am." He did not hide who he was.
This killing is not isolated. A year earlier, in June 2025, another social media influencer was murdered under strikingly similar circumstances. Kanchan Kumari, known online as Kamal Kaur Bhabhi, was lured from her Ludhiana home under false pretenses—a supposed paid brand partnership—by Amritpal Singh Mehron, a radical Nihang Sikh vigilante. Mehron and his associates killed her as an act of what they framed as moral policing. They objected to her bold Instagram content, calling it "immoral" and "vulgar," and demanded she remove the traditional Sikh female surname "Kaur" from her online handles. After the murder, Mehron recorded a video justifying the killing before fleeing to the United Arab Emirates. He was deported to India and arrested at Delhi airport on April 10, 2026. A Bathinda court has since charged him with murder.
The pattern is unmistakable: content creators in Punjab who challenge social norms—particularly around gender, sexuality, and traditional values—are being targeted for violence. The perpetrators frame their actions as moral correction, as necessary intervention against what they see as cultural contamination. The victims are young people using social media to live openly and speak freely. The state's response, so far, has been investigative: police are looking into the Facebook post, examining angles, pursuing leads. But the interval between killings is shrinking, and the targeting is precise.
Hours before Sandhu was shot, another killing occurred in Ludhiana. On Friday night, unidentified assailants opened fire on a white Hyundai i20 traveling from Khanjarwal village toward Majri. The attackers, in a Hyundai Verna, followed the vehicle and fired multiple times. The driver, Ladi Khan of Bhundri village, was struck multiple times and died. His passenger, Rohit, also known as Billa, fled the scene and survived. Police have not yet established a motive. They are investigating old enmities, personal disputes, and possible gang rivalry. The shooting appears unrelated to Sandhu's death, yet it underscores a broader climate of armed violence in the region—one in which certain groups feel emboldened to settle scores, enforce their vision of morality, or eliminate those they view as threats to the social order.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Two unidentified men fired at him around 6 pm— Sirivennela, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police
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