Shehnaaz Gill and Sidhu Moosewala. Twitter photo

Former 'Bigg Boss' contestant Shehnaaz Gill wrote: "Kise da jawaan dhee ya putt es duniya toh chala jaave, es toh vadda dukh koi nahi ho sakda duniya te. Waheguruji mehar kareyo #sidhumoosewala." Her tweet roughly translates to, "Nothing is more painful in the world than someone losing their young child. God, please show your mercy."

Comedian and TV star Kapil Sharma, who is from Amritsar, called the incident "very shocking" and "very sad". "Satnam Shri Waheguru very shocking n very sad, a great artiste n a wonderful human being, may God give his family strength #sidhumoosewala," Sharma tweeted.

Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit also took to Twitter to make a political statement: "Well-known Punjabi singer #SidhuMoosewala Shot Dead in Mansa district. Security was withdrawn yesterday. Heartfelt condolences to the aggrieved family and fans. It's an intelligence failure & the @ArvindKejriwal Govt. should own the responsibility."

Music composer and singer Vishal Dadlani called it a "sad day." VJ and actor Rannvijay Singha expressed his shock in a tweet, where he wrote, "Shocking news about #sidhumoosewala, can't believe it."

In less than 24 hours after his security was withdrawn by the government, Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead by gangsters close to his ancestral village in Mansa in Punjab, police said. He was 27 years old.

He was travelling in his vehicle when the assailants fired at the singer and his two friends. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.

Born on June 17, 1993, Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, professionally known as Sidhu Moosewala, hailed from the village Moosewala in Punjab's Mansa district. He held a degree in electrical engineering and was often seen to be openly promoting a gun culture and glorifying gangsters in his provocative songs.