Police in Mumbai are investigating the murder of senior Indian politician Baba Siddique, who is known to have had close ties to Bollywood actor Salman Khan and other film stars.
Siddique was shot dead allegedly by three men in Mumbai’s Bandra area on the night of 12 October. It is the first high-profile political murder in Mumbai in nearly three decades, and has sent shockwaves through poll-bound Maharashtra.
Siddique was the former minister of Maharashtra and a senior leader of the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). His son, Zeeshan, is a member of the Maharashtra Assembly (MLA). The incident took place outside his son’s office.
Police are now investigating the killing from various angles including personal reasons, revenge, involvement of feared gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, contract killing, business rivalry, as well as close ties with Bollywood star Salman Khan, whose residence, close to Siddique’s, was also a target of shooting recently by the same dreaded gang.
Message to Salman Khan?
According to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which has claimed responsibility for the killing, Siddique was close to Salman Khan.
“Anyone who helps Salman Khan… should be prepared…” wrote one gang member in a Facebook post in Hindi that has now gone viral.
The police are still verifying the authenticity of this post.
But what it has done is brought to the surface again the old rivalry between Salman Khan and the Bishnoi gang.
It started in 1998 when Khan was accused of killing two blackbucks. At the time, Khan was filming a movie in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. He went along with other actors including Saif Ali Khan and Sonali Bendre, Tabu, and Neelam for hunting blackbucks, animals fiercely protected and sacred to the Bishnoi community.
Outraged by the incident, the community had pursued legal action against Khan, leading to his 2018 conviction, though he was granted bail.
Notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi later issued threats, calling it an honor to kill Khan.
In 2022, the Bishnoi gang allegedly sent a death threat letter to Khan and his father, referencing the murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala. As a result, Khan has heightened his security, receiving Y+ category protection and applying for a firearm license.
The most recent incident occurred in April this year, when two bike-borne men opened fire outside his Mumbai residence, not far from where Baba Siddique lived.
What we know so far
The 66-year-old politician was shot multiple times in the chest by three assailants near Nirmal Nagar in the Bandra area of Mumbai. He was taken to Lilavati Hospital in an unresponsive condition, according to the doctors. He had “no pulse, no cardiac activity, no blood pressure, with a history of gunshot wounds… He had lost a lot of blood… We were unable to revive him and (he) was declared dead at 11:27 pm on October 12…” the doctors said.
Salman Khan had visited Lilavati Hospital at around 3 am in the morning, before Siddique’s body was moved to Cooper Hospital for post-mortem examination.
According to Mumbai police, the shooters had opened four to five rounds of fire from a 9.9 MM pistol which was recovered. The case has been handed over to the crime branch for further investigation.
The names of two accused apprehended in connection with the killing have been revealed: Gurmail Singh, 23 years old, who is from Haryana, and Dharamraj Kashyap, 19 years old, who is from Uttar Pradesh. A search for the third accused, Shiv Kumar, is ongoing.
Senior political leaders have expressed shock at the incident.
According to Congress leaders, the shooting has raised questions about the “crumbling law and order” situation in the state.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has directed that the funeral of former state minister Baba Siddique be conducted with full state honors.
“Those involved in the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique will not be spared,” the BJP has asserted. BJP national spokesperson and former Union minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain has slammed the opposition parties for indulging in “petty politics” over the crime.
Meanwhile, security has been significantly beefed up outside Salman Khan’s house in Bandra.
