Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray arrived at the Bandra residence of NCP leader Baba Siddique to pay his last respects to the deceased NCP leader. Siddique was shot dead on Saturday night by three unidentified attackers in Mumbai. Baba Siddique was attacked outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddiqui's office near Colgate ground in Nirmal Nagar. According to the police, the attackers fired two to three rounds at him. The former state minister was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. His funeral will be held with full state honours at Bada Kabrastan in Mumbai today at 8:30 pm.Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said that two people have been arrested by the police in connection with the shooting. “This is an extremely unfortunate incident and I spoke to the doctors and police. Two people have been arrested, the accused are from UP and Haryana. The third accused is absconding,” Shinde says. The accused have been identified as Gurmail Singha and Dharamraj Kashyap.
The Mumbai police is also looking into the possibility of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's involvement in the murder. Delhi police has deployed a special investigation team to aid in the investigation due to suspected gang involvement. Forensic teams are currently looking into the crime scene and a post-mortem examination of the body is being conducted at Cooper hospital .According to the police, Siddique Baba had received a threat to his life 15 days ago, after which his security was beefed up to the Y category. Several Opposition leaders expressed concern over Siddique's killing, alleging of a complete collapse in the law and order in Maharashtra.
Born Ziauddin Siddique, Baba Siddique's rise in politics mirrored Mumbai's tumultuous socio-political landscape. Beginning his journey in the Congress party during his teenage years in 1977, Mr Siddique quickly ascended through the ranks, becoming a key figure within the Bandra Taluka Youth Congress by 1980. His close association with veteran Congress leader Sunil Dutt paved the way for Mr Siddique to secure his first electoral victory as an MLA from Bandra West in 1999, a seat he successfully defended for three consecutive terms.
Siddique's tenure as Maharashtra's Minister of State for Food & Civil Supplies, Labour, FDA, and Consumer Protection from 2004 to 2008 solidified his reputation as an able administrator and a staunch advocate for communal harmony. Siddique was a familiar face in Mumbai's entertainment circles, renowned for hosting lavish Iftar parties that brought together luminaries from both politics and Bollywood. These gatherings became iconic for their ability to transcend social barriers, uniting many of diverse backgrounds and some who carried longstanding grudges against each other. The ripple effects of Mr Siddique's assassination reached beyond Maharashtra as well.