Former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddique Murdered in Mumbai Shooting; 2 detained, Police suspect involvement of gangster Bishnoi

​Former Maharashtra minister and senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Baba Siddique, was shot dead by unidentified 3 assailants in Mumbai on Saturday. Two people have been detained so far, Mumbai Police officials suspect the hand of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

Investigation :

Mumbai Police have detained two suspects in connection with the murder and confirmed that jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi could be involved in the crime. The detained individuals are-Gurmail Singh, 23, from Haryana, and Dharamraj Kashyap, 19, from Uttar Pradesh. According to police officials, they shooters had been surveilling Siddique’s residence and office for several weeks and had been living in Mumbai for about one and a half to two months. A third suspect is still at large, prompting the Mumbai crime branch to take over the investigation.

Where did the killing happen?

The incident occurred outside the office of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique, near Colgate Ground in Nirmal Nagar. Despite being under Y-category security, Siddique was shot multiple times, with the assailants firing six to seven rounds. Two bullets struck him in the chest, and another hit his abdomen. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

The shocking murder has triggered a political storm in the state, especially with assembly elections on the horizon. Opposition parties are calling for the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, attributing the rising crime rates to government inaction. “Maharashtra hasn’t seen such a state of collapse in its law and order. This death is a grim reminder of the 80s decade of Mumbai.”, wrote Shiv Sena UBT leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on ‘X’. She had also listed few other incidents of killings in Mumbai in open shootouts.

Siddique served as a Congress MLA for three terms, representing the Bandra West constituency from 1999 to 2014.
Prominent leaders, including Sharad Pawar, have echoed demands for accountability from the Shinde-led government.
​