Justice For Ishmeet

Ishmeet Singh, a well known young celebrity singer and the winner of Voice of India contest (2007), was born on September 2nd, 1989 to Gurpinder Singh and Amritpal Kaur. Ishmeet Singh with his beautiful voice, sheer determination, commitment towards music, and of course with blessings from the Almighty, family, friends, and fans won the Voice of India title in the very first season of the contest. Apart from being an extremely talented singer, Ishmeet was known for his modesty, serenity, and strong family values. The guy was blessed to possess such humility in spite of attaining fame in such a short time.

As they say the good die young, Ishmeet died on July 29th, 2008 in the Maldives. Ishmeet had gone to Maldives to perform for the 'Star Voice of Maldives' contest to be held on the 1st of August, 2008. He “supposedly” drowned in the swimming pool of the Chaaya Island Dhonveli resort, at which he was staying on Tuesday, 29th of July 2008 only three days before he was scheduled to perform.

The news of his untimely death has shocked the whole country and his fans. This tragic news is particularly shocking for Sikhs as he was representing his clean Sikh Identity all round the world. Ishmeet made Sikhs proud of his achievement and by his presence at recognized high class venues. Ishmeet not only mesmerized the music fraternity but also enthralled the whole world with his voice and devotion to singing.

Ishmeet Singh died while he was on a professional commitment (to perform in Star Voice of Maldives). Isn’t the STAR GROUP liable for any compensation to his family?

If STAR GROUP thinks they can shed away the accountability, they are wrong. They are still accountable to whole India or rather the whole world to come forward with some compassion and remorse for what has happened.

STAR GROUP still needs to come up with a unique way to memorialize Ishmeet. We would like to know about Ishmeet’s journey, which was short yet so inspiring. Also, we want to know about him from Day 1 to the day he left us. Don’t show us repeat of the VOI Grand Finale, rather come up with a special program for him. Dedicate a special tribute to our hero.

Further, STAR GROUP definitely needs to take initiatives to come up with a CD of his performances. There is no doubt that the CD will get an overwhelm response worldwide. We further demand STAR GROUP to pay the royalty out of the sale of CD to Ishmeet’s family. Though money is no solace to their irreparable loss but sure it is needed to survive.

There are many unanswered concerns about Ishmeet’s death. Drowning of a 5 ft 11inch tall guy in a swimming pool which was about 7.5 ft deep seems absurd and questionable. The corroboration of the facts by eye witnesses seems fragile. Definitely the loose ends of the mystery need to be tied before concluding anything. There is an absolute need of a high level inquiry into this accident. A demand towards this has already been made by his family. We, as undersigned, put our weight behind this demand and hereby ask for the same in the strongest possible words.

Media did a commendable job in covering this incidence but for only 3 days. No wonder media coverage comes with an expiration date on it. Is this date based on the popularity of the person? Or is it based on the genuineness of media to help? For three days, Ishmeet’s house was hub of all the attention with media vans hovering around it. But why is not media pursuing this further? Have they concluded the cause of his death?

We request world media to support this “Justice for Ishmeet” campaign. We want to convey our feelings and sentiments to the authorities concerned through media as well. The cause of his death should only be concluded after a proper investigation into the incident. Also, help him and his family to get what they deserved from the STAR GROUP. His family needs us (including media) more than ever. Let's stick with them to keep alive Ishmeet. This is the least we can do.

Ishmeet was not only the son of Gurpinder Singh and Amritpal Kaur, Ishmeet was not only the brother of Sumeet Kaur but he was the son of every family who aspired him to win VOI. He was the brother of every individual, whom he inspired by his humble personality and commitment towards his faith. He was an idol for many and a true hero, who rightfully deserved the respect he got from his community and the state government. A hero is not only someone who dies for the country or kills for the country. But a hero is someone who motivates you to become a better person and help make this world a better place to live. Ishmeet with his personality not only touched millions of people in India but across the globe. The condolence messages from the world including Pakistan demonstrate this fact.

We would like to conclude by using these lines from Robert Fulghum “I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge -- myth is more potent than history -- dreams are more powerful than facts -- hope always triumphs over experience -- laughter is the cure for grief -- love is stronger than death.”

Love certainly is stronger than death and the biggest manifestation of it is our love for Ishmeet. Our love for Ishmeet is so strong that it would be safe to challenge Almighty, a challenge to filch Ishmeet away from our hearts. Naah! Not possible. We love Ishmeet so much. May his soul rest in peace.