LGBTIQ+ Influencer Mad Sandhu Shot Dead in Amritsar

October

2026

Panjabi social media influencer and makeup artist Madhusudan alias Mad Sandhu, a prominent LGBTIQ activist, was shot dead by two men on a bike in Amritsar on 3 Oct. He died while being taken to the hospital after the attack. Madhusudan often appeared in podcasts as a guest to talk about makeup, the movie business, and gender issues, and constantly faced homophobic trolling on social media. Though not a lot is known about his family, Madhusudan started his professional career in the fashion industry as a stylist and assistant costume designer in films in Panjab and Mumbai. He gained popularity through Instagram reels where he had 200K followers; he shared luxury look tips, lifestyle content, and talked about LGBTIQ+ acceptance and pop culture. He had acted in Panjabi film series 'Oye Bhole Oye'. After his murder, a social media post from a handle called ‘Goldy Dhillon’, a gangster, appeared claiming responsibility and saying Madhusudan had 'spoilt' Panjab. Goldy Dhillon’s real name is Gurpreet Singh; he is associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi crime syndicate. The police have launched a hunt to nab the killers. In July 2026, a recording of a phone call between Sandhu and a Nihang (Traditional Warriors) Sikh group leader, who fashioned himself as a cultural vigilante, told Madhusudan not to use the Jat Sikh surname Sandhu. ‘Many boys are becoming gay after watching you,’ the vigilante said, and asked him to record a video statement saying he had ‘reformed’. The vigilante also objected to Madhusudan's ‘actions like girls’ in videos, to which Madhusudan replied, ‘See, God has made me the way He has. What can I do about that?’ Madhusudan apologized to settle the conversation. This murder comes a year after a similar killing of a social media influencer, Kanchan Kumari alias Kamal Kaur Bhabhi, in Bathinda in July 2025. In that case, a Sikh vigilante Amritpal Singh Mehron claimed responsibility and reasoned that the videos she posted were 'vulgar’. Author and journalist Amandeep Sandhu says, ‘No one has the right to tell anyone what is natural and not-natural. No one has the right to kill anyone. Panjab is today spoiled by politicians who deceive, by systemic failure, by the prevalence of drugs, and economic failure. Its people are frustrated, angry, and they take out their anger on the weakest targets’ (earlier coverage).