The murder of Baba Siddique, ex-minister from Maharashtra and an important NCP leader, on October 12, 2024, has sent waves of shock to most people in political circles and law enforcement agencies. Siddique was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in what is suspected to be a gang-related crime involving Lawrence Bishnoi’s notorious criminal network. This high-profile assassination has raised concerns regarding public safety and political violence, especially since new developments continue to come in.
Background Incident
Baba Siddique was a hardcore politician in the state of Maharashtra. He had served three terms as a MLA from Bandra (East) and had repute for influencing the Maharashtra politics, apart from being an associate of Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). On the fateful night when Baba was assassinated, three shooters attacked him outside his son’s office, leading to his immediate death. Two suspects, Gurmail Singh and Dharmaraj Kashyap, have been arrested on the spot; while the third shooter who has been identified is Shiv Kumar, he is still on run. Another fourth accused, Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, was arrested on October 13 and has added yet another dimension to the probe.
The police force has increased their efforts now to arrest the absconding Shiv Kumar shooter with 15 teams working round the clock from the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police.
Lawrence Bishnoi’s Involvement Allegedly
The investigators suspected association of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang with the murder case. According to them, “Siddique’s political affiliations may have led to his murder.” Bishnoi, who is lodged in Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat, has been into organized crime for years and is suspected to be associated with international criminal networks. His gang is pretty notorious, and Bishnoi himself is also accused in various high profile cases like murdering the singer Sidhu Moosewala and threatening the Bollywood actor Salman Khan.
The most commonly presented theory is that Siddique was targeted due to his association with Salman Khan. Bishnoi’s gang has nursed a grudge against Khan since 1998 when he was implicated in the blackbuck hunting case where an animal held sacred by the Bishnoi community was killed. Since then, the gang has issued a number of threats against Khan and those connected with him. This casual connection has some basis. Social media posts since Siddique’s murder pointed in that direction as the gang apparently was claiming credit for the attack on its social media handles.
Investigation and Arrests
The murder investigation has been pretty intense with law enforcement agencies across different states trying to crack the case. As if the Mumbai Police had a job in hand, the Delhi Police’s Special Cell has also been summoned because this case, being an interstate case, involves Bishnoi’s gang. The Crime Branch recovered 28 rounds of ammunition from the suspects and further investigations are being made to establish a clearer motive.
The police found that the killers had planned the murder for more than a fortnight before actually doing it and had recced the office of Siddique. According to the profile, suspects Gurmail Singh and Dharmaraj Kashyap who are from Uttar Pradesh, work here. They have been remanded to custody till October 21. The police is also probing connections of these two with the Bishnoi gang and if hired for murder.
Political and Public Reactions
The Baba Siddique murder has acted as a catalyst for both a criminal and serious political probe. Prominent political leaders-including top-level NCP leaders-have reiterated that the Maharashtra government failed to give proper security to Siddique, who allegedly received threats before his murder. A senior NCP leader, Clyde Crasto, attacked the state for neglecting the long-list of security demands taken up with the police by Siddique and demanded the state adopt more strict security measures for public personalities.
Additional fears surface with the apprehension that such a killing of Siddique may be only a harbinger of politically motivated violence at the doorsteps of the just arriving elections for the states. Already, Maharashtra is witnessing rising crime, and such an incident has only added fuel to the fire for stronger reacting forces of the law. Whether politicians or ordinary citizens, all of them alike are now raising voices of angst about this alarming rise in the influence of criminal gangs with the action to strike even high-profile marks.
Conclusion
The Baba Siddique murder case continues to be an active probe with the police yet to keep focus on catching the absconding shooter and getting the full hook regarding the Lawrence Bishnoi gang’s role in the crime. This case has thrown open a deep political-organized crime nexus in Maharashtra, which raises serious questionability about the safety of political leaders in the state. As the law enforcers continue to investigate, all segments of society are clamoring for justice and reforms to ensure that such mishaps do not happen again.
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