Former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddique was fatally shot near his son’s office in Mumbai’s Bandra on Saturday night. According to sources, six bullets were fired at Siddique around 9:30 pm, four of which hit the 66-year-old leader, who was quickly rushed to Lilavati Hospital. One of his aides was also injured. The shooting took place near the office of his son, Zeeshan Siddique, an MLA from Bandra East.
The attack happened just months ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections. Two suspects have been arrested, one from Uttar Pradesh and the other from Haryana, while another remains at large. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde called the incident “extremely unfortunate” and assured strict action to prevent any law and order issues in Mumbai.
Baba Siddique, a former Congress member for 48 years, joined the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP earlier this year. He was a three-time MLA from Bandra West and held various ministerial positions between 2004 and 2008. His reputation extended beyond politics, as he was known for hosting prominent events, including one that famously ended a feud between Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan in 2013.
The shooting has sparked concerns about security and law enforcement in Mumbai. Opposition leaders, including NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, criticized the state government for its handling of the situation. Siddique had Y-level security, which has led to questions about how such an attack could occur in a well-secured area like Bandra.
