NATIONALIST CONGRESS Party (Ajit Pawar faction) leader and three-time MLA Baba Siddiqui was shot dead by three persons in Bandra East on Saturday evening. The shooting occurred on a day when the city police were on high alert due to two annual Dussehra rallies held by the Shiv Sena.
Siddiqui, 66, sustained multiple serious injuries and was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he was pronounced dead during treatment. He was elected as a Congress MLA thrice and represented the Bandra West constituency from 1999 until 2014; he served as a minister in the Congress-NCP government from 2004 to 2008.
As Siddique was bursting firecrackers on the occasion of Dussehra, three men emerged from a vehicle, their faces covered with handkerchiefs. They opened fire with a 9.9 mm pistol, firing three rounds, one of which struck Siddiqui in the chest, causing him to collapse on the spot.
One of the bullets cracked the windshield of Baba Siddique’s vehicle, confirming that multiple shots were fired. Police also recovered three bullet casings from the scene, according to another video that surfaced online
Two people were later arrested: one is from Uttar Pradesh, and the other is from Haryana.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde promised strict action against those responsible for the attack on the NCP leader. “Two accused have been arrested, and one suspect is still at large. No one can take law and order into their own hands,” Shinde said.
