Mumbai:

In his first reaction after his father and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was shot dead last week, Bandra East MLA Zeeshan Siddique has said he and his family want justice. Mr Siddique also made an appeal that his father’s death should not be politicised and nor should it go in vain.

In a post on X on Thursday, Zeeshan Siddique wrote: “My father lost his life protecting and saving the lives and homes of poor innocent people. Today, my family is broken but his death must not be politicised and definitely not go in vain. I NEED JUSTICE, MY FAMILY NEEDS JUSTICE!”

Baba Siddique, 66, was shot dead by three men outside Zeeshan’s Bandra East office around 9.30 pm on Dussehra, October 13. Police had said six bullets were fired at him, four of which hit him and another hit an aide in the leg. Siddique was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital, where he was declared dead.

Two of the shooters, Gurmail Baljit Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh, were arrested soon after the murder while Shiv Kumar Gautam, who is also from Uttar Pradesh, is on the run.

On Sunday, Kashyap had claimed in a Mumbai court that his age was 17 despite his Aadhar card stating that he was 19, and a bone ossification test had been ordered. On Monday, the results of the test proved that he is not a minor.

Police sources said the suspects have claimed that they work for gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is lodged in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail, and the same claim was made in a social media post on Sunday. The Facebook post was made on the handle of one Shubuu Lonkar, believed to be Bishnoi gang associate Shubham Rameshwar Lonkar, claiming responsibility for the murder.

Police said the post was made by Lonkar’s brother, Pravin, who was arrested from Pune on Sunday evening. On Tuesday, another arrest was made in the case –  that of Harishkumar Balakram, 23, from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh. Balakram worked as a scrap dealer in Pune and officials said he was part of the conspiracy to kill Baba Siddique.

The alleged handler of the three shooters, Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, is also on the run. 

Congress To NCP Switch

Baba Siddique, who was a three-time MLA from Bandra West, was associated with the Congress for 48 years. He had quit the party in February and joined Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Zeeshan Siddique was expelled from the Congress in August.

The NCP leader was murdered ahead of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and the opposition has attacked the Eknath Shinde-led ruling BJP-NCP-Shiv Sena coalition over the law-and-order situation in the state.

After the killing, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) President Sharad Pawar had said people in the government should take responsibility and step down from their posts. 

“The deteriorating law and order situation in the state is a matter of concern. It is sad that former state minister Baba Siddique was shot dead in the country’s financial capital, Mumbai. If the Home minister and the rulers will take the state’s vehicle forward with such leniency, it can be a warning sign for the common people. This not only needs to be investigated, the rulers need to accept responsibility and step down from their posts. My heartfelt tribute to Baba Siddique and condolences to his family,” he wrote in Marathi on X. 

Chief Minister Shinde said law and order had deteriorated under the alliance led by the opposition coalition, which is known as the Maha Vikas Aghadi, and promised that the people responsible for Siddique’s killing would not be spared. 

Mumbai:

After former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique was shot dead outside his son’s office on Saturday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde assured that those responsible for Siddique’s brutal murder will not escape justice. 

“Our responsibility is to maintain law and order. Whoever is responsible for Baba Siddique’s murder will not be spared,” Mr Shinde said. 

The Chief Minister alleged that the law and order situation had deteriorated during the tenure of the previous Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. According to Mr Shinde, under the MVA’s administration, security measures had weakened, leading to a rise in criminal incidents, adding that his government would ensure that justice is delivered and that lawbreakers face the full weight of the law.

The murder of Mr Siddique shocked the state and triggered widespread concerns about public safety. The Mumbai Police has arrested two suspects in connection with the case. A third suspect remains at large, and the Chief Minister assured the public that efforts are being intensified to apprehend the fugitive. Shinde stated, “The third accused is on the run. 

“Yesterday’s incident of Baba Siddique’s murder is unfortunate and sad. Mumbai Police has arrested two people, one is from UP and the other from Haryana. The third accused is on the run. He will be arrested soon. They will not be spared no matter who they are be it the Bishnoi gang or any underworld gang. Strict action will be taken. Those who are receiving threats, their safety is the state government’s responsibility and it will fulfil its responsibility,” Mr Shinde said. 

According to police, Mr Siddique was shot multiple times, sustaining two critical gunshot wounds to his chest. He was immediately rushed to Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital where he died shortly after his arrival.

A political slugfest erupted over the killing between the ruling BJP and Opposition parties. While the BJP-led Maharashtra government has requested not to “politicise” the incident, Opposition leaders, notably from the Congress, have slammed the ruling dispensation over what they describe as a “collapse of law and order.”

Mumbai:

Baba Siddique only had non-categorised security and three policemen had been assigned to him for his protection, the Mumbai Police said on Sunday, a day after the former Maharashtra minister was shot dead outside the office of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique, in Bandra East. 

Addressing a press conference, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Datta Nalawade also said one of the police personnel was with Siddique, who is a member of the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP, when he was shot around 9.30 pm on Saturday.

“A case was registered and the investigation was handed over to the Crime Branch. After the firing, police personnel at the spot showed courage and arrested two accused while one managed to escape. We have got the custody of one of the accused till October 21. Two pistols and 28 rounds have been recovered,” the police officer said. 

To a question on whether Mr Siddique had Y-level security as was initially reported, Mr Nalawade said he had non-categorised security and three police personnel had been assigned for this purpose.

The accused who have been arrested have been identified as Gurmail Baljit Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh. Police are looking for the third shooter, Shiv Kumar Gautam, who is also from Uttar Pradesh.

Mr Nalawade said they are looking into the records of all accused and are also in touch with their colleagues from the hometowns of the accused.

“We are investigating when the accused came to Mumbai, where they were living and who harboured and financed them,” he said.

Earlier on Sunday, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang had taken responsibility through a post on Facebook by one Shibu Lonkar, believed to be Shubham Rameshwar Lonkar, an associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. In the post, Lonkar claimed that Siddique had been killed because he was linked to India’s most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, was close to Salman Khan and because of the death of Anuj Thapan, one of the arrested suspects in the shooting outside Mr Khan’s house in April, in police custody.

When Mr Nalawade was asked about this, he said the post and the Lawrence Bishnoi angle are being investigated. 

Security has been tightened around Salman Khan’s house, Galaxy Apartments, in Bandra. A tight security cordon has also been put in place in South Mumbai’s Malabar Hill, where the residences of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar are located. Siddique, who had been part of the Congress for 48 years, had switched to Mr Pawar’s party earlier this year.

(With inputs from ANI)