Indian politician Baba Siddique, 66, was shot and killed in Mumbai, near the office of his son, who is also a politician, reports foreign news agencies and newspapers.
Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack.
Siddique, a former minister and a key figure in Maharashtra state politics, had recently switched from the Congress party to the regional National Congress Party (NCP), which is part of the ruling BJP coalition.
Maharashtra's deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, a member of Siddique’s party, condemned the "cowardly attack."
Known for his lavish parties and Bollywood connections, Siddique was shot despite heightened security in the city due to a major Hindu festival.
Opposition parties have blamed the government for a serious security lapse, while the state has pledged a full investigation.
Though two suspects are in custody, the motive remains unclear, and police are searching for a third suspect. Some reports suggest the gunmen may be linked to a gang led by infamous criminal Lawrence Bishnoi, currently imprisoned for several murders, including that of rapper Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022. The attack occurred just weeks after Siddique’s security was enhanced following death threats.
Baba Siddique's Last Insta Post Days Before Murder
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddiqui was shot dead on Saturday evening in Mumbai. Just two days before his murder, Mr Siddiqui had made his last Instagram post.
The politician, who actively used his social media handles to interact with his supporters, had posted a heartfelt tribute to the late industrialist Ratan Tata, who died on October 9 at age 86.
In his post, Mr Siddiqui described Ratan Tata's death as the “End of an Era.”
The 66-year-old politician was shot dead by three men in Kher Nagar near his son's office in Bandra. The gunmen fired at least six bullets, four of which struck him in the chest. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital where he was declared dead.
Two suspects, Gurmail Baljit Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh, were arrested shortly after the killing, while a third suspect remains at large. During their interrogation, the arrested men claimed they belong to Lawrence Bishnoi's gang. Neither the cops have confirmed this nor the gang has admitted they are behind the killing. Bishnoi, who is currently imprisoned in Gujarat, has been linked to several high-profile murders and extortion cases in the recent past.
Police are probing the murder from two angles: one focuses on the possible involvement of the Bishnoi gang - due to Mr Siddiqui's proximity to Bollywood actor Salman Khan - who has previously received death threats from the gang. The second angle relates to a slum rehabilitation case. Sources suggest that Mr Siddiqui had received death threats just 15 days before the attack, prompting him to be placed under ‘Y' category security cover.
The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has formed four special teams to investigate the case, but so far, no conclusive motive has been established.
