DM Monitoring
NEW DELHI: India’s former minister and member of the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP, Baba Siddique, was shot dead inside his son’s office in Mumbai, India media reported on Saturday night.
The incident took place at around 9:30pm local time when three bullets were fired at Siddique at the office of his son Zeeshan, who is also a lawmaker from Bandra East, Indian media reported citing sources.
The ex-minister was shifted to the hospital but he could not survive.
After being informed, police rushed to the crime scene and took two people into custody over suspicion.
“The incident is extremely unfortunate. Two people have been arrested, one from Uttar Pradesh and one from Haryana, while another is on the run,” said Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
“I have asked the police to take strict action and ensure no one takes law and order into their hands. A gang-war-like situation should not be allowed to resurface in Mumbai.”
Siddique, a three-time MLA from Bandra West, was associated with the Congress for 48 years and had quit the party in February and joined Ajit Pawar’s NCP.
The firing took place on Dussehra festival and came months ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, which are expected to be held later this year, NDTV reported.
Expressing his shock, NCP Spokesperson Brijmohan Shrivastav said that Siddique had not shared any threats with anybody.
Siddique was elected as an MLA from the Bandra West constituency in 1999, 2004 and 2009 and served as a minister of state for food and civil supplies, labour and FDA between 2004 and 2008.
Earlier, The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has not only claimed responsibility for the murder of Baba Siddique but also threatened that anyone who helps actor Salman Khan, near whose house it has already fired warning shots, will be in its crosshairs.
Soon after Mr Siddique, a three-time MLA and former Maharashtra minister, was killed near the office of his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique, in Bandra East on Saturday night, speculation began swirling of a Bishnoi gang link to the daring crime. This was confirmed on Sunday after a post on Facebook by one Shubuu Lonkar, believed to be Bishnoi gang associate Shubham Rameshwar Lonkar, claiming responsibility.
While Lonkar is in jail, police said the post was made by his brother Pravin Lonkar, who was arrested on Sunday evening.
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 police custody.
