Maharashtra CM said that two people have been arrested in connection with the case and vowed that the state government will ensure that the case is tried in a fast-track court
Former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, who was shot dead in Mumbai on Saturday, suffered two bullet wounds to the chest when he arrived at the Lilavati Hospital for treatment.
The senior leader of Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was waylaid by assailants at Kher Nagar in Mumbai just outside his son’s office around 9.30 pm. He was taken to Lilavati Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Two gunshot wounds
“Baba Siddique Saheb was brought to Leelavti Hospital at 9:30 pm, with no pulse rate and blood pressure. He had two gunshot wounds on his chest. We started the emergency and recitative measures,” said Dr Nitin Gokhale, the cardiologist at the Leelavti hospital. “He was shifted to the ICU. At 11:27 pm he was declared dead. The number of bullets fired will be certain after postmortem,” the doctor added.
The politician, who pulled a big switcheroo in February this year by ending his four-decade-long ties with the Congress and joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, had received a death threat just 15 days ago and was under ‘Y’ category security. The shooting occurred last evening outside the office of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique, where Baba was meeting with constituents.
Six Rounds Fired, Four Suspects Involved
Sources said that four individuals were involved in the shooting of Baba Siddique. Aside from the three shooters, one suspect was specifically tasked with monitoring and relaying Siddique’s location to the other three shooters. A total of six shots were fired, with two bullets striking Baba Siddique in the chest.
In the aftermath of the shooting, police had been stationed in the area for Dussehra celebrations, allowing them to apprehend two of the shooters. However, the other two suspects escaped by blending into the crowd. Police authorities confirmed that two suspects were arrested immediately after the incident.
Gurmail Baljit Singh, 23, from Haryana, and Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap, 19, from UP, have been identified as the two suspects nabbed by the police. A case has been registered at Nirmal Nagar Police Station under Crime Registration No. 589/2024, Sections 103(1), 109, 125, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 3, 25, 5, and 27 of the Arms Act, and Section 37 and section 137 of the Maharashtra Police Act.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has vowed that the state government will ensure the case is tried in a fast-track court. The police have formed five teams to investigate the murder case. Sources within the Mumbai police have stated that they will also examine the Lawrence Bishnoi angle as part of the inquiry. The Mumbai Crime Branch is investigating the case, and the probe is being conducted from all possible angles.
