an lgbtq makeup artist in punjab was shot dead on saturday while he waited for his car to be washed. he had been threatened in july. we're heartbroken.

via The Tribune, ETV Bharat, PTI and ThePrint

He was waiting for his car to be washed.

Madhusudan, the makeup artist everyone online knew as Mad Sandhu, was on Loharka Road in Amritsar at about 6 p.m. on Saturday when two men on a motorcycle pulled up and fired at him from close range, according to PTI and The Tribune. He was taken to a private hospital, where he was declared dead. Police put his age at around 30.

"Two unidentified assailants on a motorcycle opened fire at influencer Mad Sandhu and fled the spot," an Amritsar police officer told ETV Bharat. Police say they have formed teams, are going through CCTV footage and have "some leads," The Tribune reports. There have been no arrests, and police say the motive has not been established.

who he was

He did makeup, made videos about it, and did both as himself. About 226,000 people followed him on Instagram, according to PTI and The Tribune. Indian outlets describe him as an LGBTQ influencer; ThePrint calls him an outspoken member of the community. The Week reports he founded a unisex salon and beauty academies, and that his father is a retired Punjab Police officer.

the threats before saturday

In July, a Nihang Sikh, a member of a traditional armed Sikh order, objected to his videos and his clothing, PTI and The Tribune both report, on the grounds that he was misleading young people. Amritsar's member of parliament, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, told PTI that Sandhu had "openly mentioned" the threats on social media.

An officer who was not named told ThePrint that "the family has complained about hateful comments over social media as well as on the street," and that the killing "prima facie appears to be a case of social media-related controversy." After the shooting a post attributed to a gangster claimed responsibility. Police have not confirmed it, and PTC News said it could not verify the post, so we are not repeating it.

His family filed the police complaint. None of them have spoken publicly yet, and we will not speak for them. What is on the record is a man who was told in July that the way he dressed was a problem, kept dressing that way, and kept posting, for more than 200,000 people, until Saturday.