Amar Singh Chamkila: Did singer predict his own death? Know what happened when Amarjot Kaur got shot

By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published Apr 14, 2024, 11:34 AM IST

The musician Lal Chand, who was with Amar Singh Chamkila on the day he was gunned down in Mehsampur, described the events that occurred, from the minute they left their workplace until the time Chamkila and his wife were shot.

Lal Chand, the dholak musician who was with Amar Singh Chamkila on the day he died, has frequently spoken about his impression of the late folk singer. When Chamkila and his wife, Amarjot, were killed in the hamlet of Mehsampur in Punjab in 1988, Lal Chand was shot. Director Imtiaz Ali recounted Chamkila's narrative in a new biopic that premiered on Friday on Netflix.

As interest in the singer's life develops, here's a look back at Lal Chand's anecdotes about him, as well as his account of what happened on the day Chamkila and Amarjot were shot dead by unknown gunmen.

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Lal Chand spoke to Noble TV Canada in 2020 about the threats Chamkila had received previous to his murder. Chamkila, who had reached the peak of Punjab's local music industry, was extorted for money by a group of local thugs, according to Lal Chand. His emergence coincided with political instability in Punjab, which peaked in 1984, when anti-Sikh riots erupted in North India. In the interview, Lal Singh retraced his steps on that tragic day, recounted how he fled the site of the crime, and presented his ideas on who might and could not have been guilty for Chamkila's murder, which remains unsolved.

He remarked in Punjabi, "All of us arrived at the workplace about midday. Chamkila stopped by, and we sat for about ten minutes before leaving for the event. As we prepared to depart, Chamkila advised us not to be frightened.

He said, ‘I sing the songs, not you. Jis goli te mera naam likheya hoga, o mere te vajni hi vajni aa (The bullet with my name printed on it will hit just me.).’ Some of our friends had ceased interacting with us. But I knew I needed to work someplace, and it may as well be with Chamkila."

Lal Chand said, "On our trip to Mehsampur, we spotted posters for the film Patola. I pointed them out to him. Chamkila was in the film, and he promised that after the show, we'd all go see it together. But that time never arrived. Before the concert, we decided to dine. The company decided to stop at a neighbouring house for a supper, unaware that it would be Chamkila and Amarjot's last. When they received news that the show's location was ready, they piled into a car and travelled the short distance. They parked their automobile on the side of the road. That's when the bullets began flying.

"Everyone left the automobile, including Chamkila. Amarjot and I were the only ones left inside. I walked outside and unlocked the boot to retrieve my dhol; Amarjot was still inside. Soon after I picked up the dhol, I noticed a man with a masked face pull out a machine pistol and begin firing. I escaped from the scene, but as I was looking for cover, I noticed Amarjot get hit. She was about to get out of the automobile. I could hear them cursing at Chamkila while they were shooting. They shot him in the back, but Chamkila spotted blood gushing from Amarjot's belly before being hit. 'Babbi, tenu ki hoya (Babbi, what happened to you)?' "I had no idea Chamkila referred to Amarjot as 'Babbi' until then," Lal Chand explained.

After the incident, Lal Chand learned that he had also been shot. He got a ride to the adjacent town of Phillaur, where he approached the police and explained what had occurred. Opening up about Chamkila's risks, Lal Chand stated, "The militants would not interfere." They would leave the artists alone. However, lenders and other goons would use intimidation to extract money. But, from what I understand, the militants would leave us alone. Some vocalists would succumb to the bullying, but Chamkila refused. This enraged them. "He even composed a song about them."

Four individuals were killed that day, including Chamkila and Amarjot. In the conversation, Lal Chand stated that Chamkila remained a grounded individual despite his celebrity. Other singers develop egos, he claimed, but Chamkila does not. "He would smoke cheap beedis even though he could afford cigarettes," Lal Chand said.

The biopic Amar Singh Chamkila, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, premiered to good reviews on Netflix on April 12. This is Diljit's second effort to convey Chamkila's tragedy, having previously played a copy of the deceased singer in the Punjabi film Jodi.

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