Mumbai: Former MLA Baba Siddique, a leader with the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was shot dead Saturday in Mumbai’s Bandra area.
He was shot at three times and later rushed to Bandra’s Lilavati Hospital where he succumbed to gunshot wounds.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde told reporters late Saturday night that two of the three persons who shot Siddique have been arrested. “One is from Uttar Pradesh and the other is from Haryana. The third person is still absconding,” Shinde said.
“What has happened is very unfortunate. I have given the police strict directions that nobody should be able to take law and order in their hands in Mumbai. There should be no gang wars. There should be strict action in this case,” the chief minister told reporters in Thane.
Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in a statement said he lost a “good friend and associate”.
“There will be strict action and the person who orchestrated the attack will also be brought to book,” said Pawar.
He added that, in Siddique’s death, Maharashtra lost a leader who fought for the rights of religious minorities.
Opposition politicians too condemned Siddique’s death and cited the fatal attack to question the state of law and order in Maharashtra.
Anil Deshmukh, an MLA from the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), in a post on social media platform ‘X’ wrote, “The incident of senior leader, Baba Siddique being shot dead today is very shocking and raises serious questions about law and order in the state. If the ruling leaders are not safe in Maharashtra, think what will be the condition of common people. Is Maharashtra really becoming Uttar Pradesh or Bihar?”
ज्येष्ठ नेते, बाबा सिद्दिकी यांची आज गोळ्या घालून हत्या करण्यात आल्याची घटना अत्यंत धक्कादायक असून राज्यातील कायदा सुव्यवस्थेबाबत गंभीर प्रश्न निर्माण करणारी आहे. सत्ताधारी नेते जर महाराष्ट्रात सुरक्षित नसतील तर सामान्य जनतेची काय अवस्था असेल, याचा विचार करा. महाराष्ट्राचा खरच…
— ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) October 12, 2024
Siddique was earlier with Congress and had been a three-time MLA from the Bandra West assembly constituency. He lost the 2014 assembly elections to BJP’s Ashish Shelar.
Siddique’s son, Zeeshan, is a Congress MLA from Bandra East.
Baba Siddique resigned from the Congress in February this year and joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. His son, Zeeshan, is still with the Congress but had campaigned for the Ajit Pawar-led NCP at the latter’s ‘Jan Sanman Yatra’ in Mumbai in August this year.