Baba Siddique: Mumbai politician shot dead months before state elections

A prominent Indian politician known for his strong connections to Bollywood was shot dead in Mumbai on Saturday by unknown assailants, just months before state elections.

Baba Siddique, a three-time member of the state legislative assembly, was attacked near his son’s office in the upscale Bandra East area of Mumbai.

The 66-year-old former Maharashtra state minister was shot in the chest by three men who fired a volley of bullets on Saturday, when the country was celebrating the Hindu festival of Dussehra.

Siddique was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, but succumbed to his injuries. An aide accompanying him was also injured.

Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who is from the same political party as Siddique, said he was shocked by the killing. “The incident will be thoroughly investigated and strict action will be taken against the attackers. The mastermind behind the attack will also be traced,” Pawar said in a statement.

The incident has raised concerns about political violence ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections and a resurgence of gang violence in Mumbai, something which has been curbed in recent years.

The police have arrested three suspects and said they were connected to the crime organisation run by jailed gang leader Lawrence Bishnoi, according to the NDTV news channel.

The gang has been linked to a number of high-profile killings and extortion cases in the past. Even though Bishnoi, who faces dozens of criminal cases, is currently lodged in a jail in Gujarat, his gang keeps making headlines over reports of ransom calls to businessmen.

Bishnoi has also been linked by police to a number of murder cases in recent years, including the high-profile killing of rapper Sidhu Moosewala.

Police said they were yet to confirm the gang’s involvement, but told Indian media that the alleged killers had admitted to being in touch with the gang.

Police are reportedly investigating two potential motives behind the attack: one involving Bishnoi’s criminal network and another related to a slum rehabilitation case Siddique was handling.

Siddique a former member of the Congress Party who later aligned with a faction of the smaller Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that formed a Maharashtra coalition government with the BJP.

His influence stretched far beyond politics, however, and he often made headlines for his ties to Bollywood celebrities. His lavish iftar parties, a festive meal eaten by Muslims at sunset to break their fast during Ramadan, were attended by stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. Siddique reportedly played a key role in mending the relationship between the two Bollywood superstars.

Siddique had received a death threat as recently 15 days before the attack and was given Y-level security, the fourth tier of security provided by the government of India to prominent individuals who face threats seen as relatively mild. A security team at this level typically includes 8 personnel, including one or two commandos and some police officers.

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde condemned the killing, calling it “extremely unfortunate” and warning against the return of gang violence in Mumbai.

“I have asked the police to take strict action and ensure no one takes law and order into their hands. A gang-war-like situation should not be allowed to resurface in Mumbai,” he said.

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who oversees the home ministry, said he is monitoring the case.

Sharad Pawar, former chief minister of Maharashtra and a critic of the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party, said people in the government should take responsibility and step down from their posts.

“The deteriorating law and order situation in the state is a matter of concern,” he wrote in the Marathi language.

“If the home minister and the rulers will take the state’s vehicle forward with such leniency, it can be a warning sign for the common people.”

Source: The Independent 
--Agencies