Opposition, BJP train guns over Baba Siddique murder; online post claims Bishnoi gang's role

Mumbai/Delhi: The murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique in Mumbai’s upscale Bandra triggered a fiery exchange between the opposition and BJP on Sunday even as a viral social media post claimed Lawrence Bishnoi gang’s role behind the shocking crime.

A court here remanded one of the two accused arrested in the case in police custody till October 21 and directed the cops to conduct a bone ossification test to determine the age of the second accused after he claimed to be a minor.

Police told the court they wanted to probe if the case was the fallout of political rivalry since Maharashtra assembly polls are around the corner.

The Congress led the opposition attack demanding a thorough investigation into the ex-MLA’s killing and said Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis should take moral responsibility for “law and order failure” in the state and resign.

The BJP slammed the opposition for indulging in "petty politics" over the murder. Siddique’s party chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said the murder should not be politicised.

The 66-year-old former Maharashtra minister died soon after he was waylaid and shot at by three men at Kher Nagar in Bandra outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office on Saturday night.

The Congress alleged that the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has failed to protect its own leaders and the people of Mumbai who feel scared, claiming it was trying to postpone the election dates through these incidents.

“It is a Government that is on its last legs. With this, the countdown for its exit has begun,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on X.

His party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leader Rahul Gandhi said the Maharashtra government must take responsibility and order a thorough and transparent investigation.

“The tragic demise of Baba Siddique ji is shocking and saddening. My thoughts are with his family in this difficult time. This horrifying incident exposes the complete collapse of law and order in Maharashtra. The government must take responsibility, and justice must prevail," Gandhi said on X.

“Justice must be ensured, and the present Maharashtra Govt must order a thorough and transparent investigation. The culprits must be brought to book at the earliest. Accountability is paramount," Kharge posted on the social media platform.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Congress’ alliance partner in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in Maharashtra, said each move of the Shinde government is looked upon with suspicion – “like the two arrests made in the murder of Siddique and even the police encounter of Badlapur sexual assault case accused Akshay Shinde".

Sharad Pawar, whose NCP (SP) is another MVA partner, said there is a need to take responsibility over the incident and for the rulers to step down. He said Fadnavis is only keen on attaining power even when such serious incidents have taken place.

AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said people across the country are “scared” by the killing of Siddique, and gangsters have created an almost similar atmosphere in Delhi.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said such acts have no place in civil society, while RJD leader and former Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav pointed to the “crumbling” law and order situation in Maharashtra.

BJP spokesperson Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said Sena (UBT) and Congress leaders were making “extremely petty statements” over the incident. “Baba Siddique was a great human being. We are all saddened by his murder. Two of those involved in his murder have been caught and a probe is on to find out those who were behind this,” he told PTI.

Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also slammed opposition leaders and said it was not right for them to make “insensitive remarks on such a sensitive issue”.

After spending decades in the Congress, Siddique, who won from Bandra West assembly seat in 1999, 2004 and 2009, joined Ajit Pawar’s NCP earlier this year.

“This is not the time for division or for exploiting the pain of others for political advantage. Right now, our focus must be on ensuring that justice is served," said Ajit Pawar.

Fadnavis said police have found some leads in connection with the case. Different angles behind the murder were being probed, he told reporters in the Gondia district.

One police constable was guarding Siddique when he was fatally shot, an official said, adding that two pistols and 28 live cartridges were recovered from the two accused – Gurmail Singh (23) and a youth from Uttar Pradesh.

The youth from UP and the third accused are from the state's Bahraich district and have no criminal history there, police said. According to Mumbai cops, Singh is from Haryana.

A team from the Special Cell of the Delhi Police would be sent to Mumbai to assist in the probe, sources said, even as a social media post claimed the involvement of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Superstar Salman Khan was among several well-known personalities who paid homage to Siddique at the late NCP leader’s house in Bandra on Sunday.

A popular figure in Bollywood circles, Siddique had earned praise for supplying life-saving medicines to patients during the Covid pandemic.

He was also known for his grand Iftar parties that were attended by top Bollywood actors.

A prominent Muslim leader from Mumbai, Siddique was also known to be close to several Bollywood stars, including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt.