Akola, Maharashtra, (October 13): Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar harshly criticized the Maharashtra government following the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique. He demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.
"It's a very sad incident. I think that law & order in Maharashtra has been completely deteriorated... We demand that the CM and both the deputy CMs should take responsibility and resign, then only the law & order situation in the state will get better, " VBA chief told ANI.
Baba Siddique, a three-time MLA, was fatally shot by three gunmen as he left his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra East. As Siddique entered his vehicle, the assailants fired six to seven rounds, hitting him multiple times, including twice in the chest and once in the abdomen. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital in critical condition but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Despite being under Y-category security, Siddique was killed in the attack. The Mumbai Police have confirmed Lawrence Bishnoi’s involvement, according to a report by The Indian Express. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has been linked to previous violent incidents, including an attack in April when two unidentified assailants fired shots outside Galaxy Apartments, the home of Bollywood actor Salman Khan. The gang had also claimed responsibility for that incident.
The assassination comes just ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections scheduled for November.
The Mumbai Crime Branch has registered a case at Nirmal Nagar Police Station under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Arms Act, and Maharashtra Police Act. The case is filed under Crime Registration No. 589/2024, citing Sections 103(1), 109, 125, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 3, 25, 5, and 27 of the Arms Act, and Sections 37 and 137 of the Maharashtra Police Act.
The police have arrested two persons accused of the crime. One is Gurmail Singh (23), from Haryana, and the other is Dharamraj Kashyap (19), from Uttar Pradesh. The accused had done a recce of Baba Siddiqui's house and office premises, and they had been living in Mumbai for one and a half to two months, said Mumbai Police on Sunday.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that Siddique would be cremated with full state honours. Baba Siddique was a well-known figure in Maharashtra politics, having been elected as a Congress MLA three times from the Bandra West constituency between 1999 and 2014. He also served as a minister in the Congress-NCP government from 2004 to 2008 and also served as the chairman of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).