Social media influencer Mad Sandhu shot dead in Amritsar

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Social media influencer and makeup artist Mad Sandhu was shot dead in Amritsar on Saturday.

In some videos going viral on social media, he is shown injured on the road.

Police said that Mad Sandhu was badly injured in the attack and he was taken to the hospital, where he died.

Apart from being a social media influencer, Mad Sandhu had also appeared in some films.

What did the police say?

Giving information about the incident to news agency ANI, DCP (Investigation) of Amritsar Commissionerate Prabhjot Singh Virk said, "Social media influencer Mad Sandhu has died after being hit by two bullets on Luharka Road. The investigation is still in the initial stages. At present, all we can say is that we have got some clues and we will solve this case soon."

He said, "The information that has come out so far shows that two bullets were fired. We have recorded the statements of his family, registered an FIR and started investigation."

Earlier, ADCP City 2 of Amritsar Police Commissionerate said that the attack took place in Luharka Road area at around 6 pm.

He said, "Two motorcycle riders fired at media influencer Mad Sandhu and fled from the spot. After the attack, Mad Sandhu was seriously injured and was taken to the hospital, where he died."

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After this incident, many political parties and leaders have raised questions on the government regarding law and order in the state.

BJP MP Tarun Chugh said that the murder of Mad Sandhu in broad daylight in Amritsar is very sad and heartbreaking.

He said, "This incident has once again exposed the shortcomings of the AAP government and proved that Punjab has been handed over to criminals and mafias."

"The youth of Punjab are not safe and there is an atmosphere of fear and terror in the entire state, murders are happening every day! Gurudokhi Bhagwant Mann has turned our prosperous Punjab into a 'crime capital' due to his political failures."

He said, "The public will definitely hold him accountable for this chaos!"

BJP national spokesperson and Supreme Court lawyer Jaiveer Shergill wrote on his Facebook account, "Another day, another murder in Punjab!"

He wrote, "Makeup artist shot dead in Amritsar! The question is simple - how many more people are left to die to wake up the AAP government?"

Gurjit Aujla, Congress leader and MP from Amritsar, wrote on Twitter, "This is not just the murder of Mad Sandhu, but also the murder of law and order!"

He further wrote, "The repeated alleged threats made to them were ignored until it was too late. I demand immediate arrests, a fair investigation into the past negligence of the police and accountability. There is also a need for a police station, CCTV cameras, street lights and security for the three lakh residents and schools on Luharka Road."

Who was Mad Sandhu?

Mad Sandhu was a Punjabi social media influencer and makeup artist.

He has more than 2 lakh followers on his Instagram profile. According to the profile, he describes himself as a makeup artist, entrepreneur, artist and influencer.

He is associated with the LGBTQ+ community and expressed his views openly on this issue. In many interviews, he has told about his challenges and the immense love given to him by the people.

A few months ago, a video had gone viral, in which an alleged Nihang was seen threatening Mad Sandhu.

"This is not a mental disorder," Sandhu said in a podcast about the LGBTQ+ community.

He had said, "Earlier there were no love marriages or inter-caste marriages, but now people have accepted them and gradually people will accept them too."

He said, "I am just the way I am."

Mad Sandhu was the son of a retired police officer.

BBC associate correspondent Ravinder Singh Robin told that Mad Sandhu's full name was Madhusudan Sandhu and he was the son of a retired Punjab Police officer.

He used to openly discuss topics related to makeup, fashion and identity among his followers.

Mad Sandhu, who hails from Amritsar, started working in fashion and costume designing and gained a huge fan following online.

He has around 2.26 lakh followers on Instagram and he also worked in the Punjabi film 'Oye Bhole Oye'.

He started 'Men's Lane Unisex Salon' and also gave beauty training, turning his creative interests into a profession.

In an old interview given to the media, Sandhu had mentioned her childhood passion for makeup and fashion, her mother's encouragement and the ridicule from people outside the house.

He said that he got more acceptance while studying in Delhi and later got help from his family in his career.

He faced trolling for being gay, but he continued to talk about his experiences.

Social media influencers are receiving threats

For some time, there have been many reports of threats or attacks on social media influencers in Punjab.

Manjeet Kaur, a social media influencer from Kharar area, died in PGI on August 26, 2026. She was a makeup artist and used to make and share videos related to makeup and songs on social media.

According to the family, Manjeet was kidnapped from Chandigarh and burnt alive, after which he was hospitalized for the last two months.

A similar case also came to light on June 11, 2025. The body of Kanchan Kumari alias 'Kamal Kaur Bhabhi' of Ludhiana was recovered from a vehicle parked in the parking lot of Adesh Hospital in Bhuchon Kalan town of Bathinda.

In this case, the police had arrested two associates of Amritpal Singh Mehron, while the police had said that Amritpal Singh Mehron has absconded.

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