Chamkila, the so-called 'Elvis of Punjab', famously outraged religious leaders with his 'vulgar' music.

But what was so taboo about his songs that he was forced to fold his hands and apologise?

And in the end, that apology wasn't enough!

In 1988, Punjabi musician and cultural icon Amar Singh Chamkila had his rise cut cruelly short.

To this day, it's not clear who pulled the trigger.

• Host: Aslan Pahari
• Producer: Hannah Jose
• Audio Engineer: Tegan Nicholls
• Video Producers: Tejas Bhat, Dylan Behan
• Supervising Producer: Kyla Slaven
• Executive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica Radburn
• Special thanks: Michael Osmond for archives research; Tiwana Music Evolution/Prabhjot Singh Tiwana; Chamkila.in/Shamsher Singh Sohi

To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end.