Mumbai: The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has taken responsibility for the killing of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique. The 66-year-old NCP leader was gunned down on Saturday night outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra East, Mumbai.
According to police, three gunmen were involved in the attack. Two of them, Gurmail Baljit Singh, 23, from Haryana, and Dharamraj Kashyap, 19, from Uttar Pradesh, have been apprehended. The third suspect, identified as Shiv Kumar Gautam from Uttar Pradesh, remains at large. Authorities are also pursuing a fourth individual, believed to have orchestrated the incident, who is currently on the run.
Reports suggest that six shots were fired around 9:30 pm on Saturday near the office of Siddique’s son, Zeeshan, who is the sitting MLA from Bandra East. Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident. One suspect hails from Uttar Pradesh, while the other is from Haryana. A third individual remains at large, police said.
Reportedly, Siddique was immediately rushed to Lilavati Hospital after four bullets struck him. One of his aides was also injured in the shooting. The attack took place on Dussehra, months before the Maharashtra Assembly elections, which are expected later this year.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde expressed condolences and said he had spoken with police and doctors. “This incident is extremely unfortunate. There are reports that Mr. Siddique has died. I have instructed the police to take strict action and ensure that no one disrupts law and order. We cannot allow gang wars to resurface in Mumbai,” Shinde said in Marathi.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the Home portfolio, visited the hospital. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar expressed shock over Siddique’s death in a post on X, formerly Twitter, saying, “I have lost a good colleague and friend.”
Siddique, a three-time MLA from Bandra West, had a long political career spanning over 48 years. He was first elected as an MLA in 1999 and won subsequent elections in 2004 and 2009. Siddique served as the Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies, Labour, and FDA between 2004 and 2008. He left the Congress party in February 2024 and joined Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction. Zeeshan Siddique, his son, was expelled from the Congress party in August.
Apart from his political career, Siddique was known for his social acumen and his high-profile iftar parties. In 2013, he famously helped resolve a long-standing cold war between Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan at one such event.
Both Salman Khan and actor Sanjay Dutt arrived at the hospital late on Saturday night, as friends and political figures gathered to pay respects.
The police investigation is ongoing, and security has been heightened in the area.