Baba Siddique
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: Senior politician and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, who was shot at in Bandra area of Mumbai on Saturday evening, passed away at Lilavati Hospital.
Baba Siddique was shot at by three unidentified assailants in the Bandra area of Mumbai on Saturday evening.
Besides being a politician and social worker, Siddique has various business interests.
His son Zeeshan Siddique is an MLA from Vandre East.
The details about the attack - which took place near his son’s office - is not yet known.
Initial reports suggest that at least three persons were involved in the attack.
Siddique (65) was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on admission.
The Nirmal Nagar police station has registered an FIR into the incident. The Crime Branch-CID has also joined the probe.
A few persons have been detained, however, the exact details are yet to be known.
Before the Lok Sabha polls, Siddique had left Congress and the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance to join the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, who switched to the ruling Maha Yuti.
He is known for his close contacts with the who’s who of Hindi entertainment industry, including the three Khans - Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan.
He was also known for his close association with late actor-politician Sunil Dutt and his children - Sanjay Dutt, Priya Dutt and Namrata Dutt.
Siddique, a two-term Corporator, a three-time MLA from (1999 and 2004 from Vandre and 2009 from Vandre West), is a former Minister of State and handled portfolios like Food & Civil Supplies, Labour and FDA and Consumer Protection in the Congress-NCP Democratic Front government.
Siddique was also the chairman of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA)’s Mumbai Board during 2000-2004.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers, Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the Home Minister and Ajit Pawar, spoke to senior officials to review the situation following the incident.
Security has been beefed up in the Bandra area of Mumbai.
The Mumbai Police is probing the case from various angles like political and business rivalry and involvement of the underworld.
According to latest reports, the role of Lawrence Bishnoi gang too is under scanner. At least five rounds were fired.