Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddiqui was shot dead on Saturday evening in Mumbai. Just two days before his shocking murder, Mr Siddiqui had posted a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, honouring the late industrialist Ratan Tata, who died on October 9 at age 86.
In his post, Mr Siddiqui described Ratan Tata’s death as the “End of an Era.”
The 62-year-old politician was gunned down by three assailants in Kher Nagar, near his son’s office in Bandra. At around 9:30 PM, Mr Siddiqui was attacked by the assailants, who fired at least six bullets, four of which struck him in the chest. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, but he was declared dead shortly after.
Two suspects, Karnail Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh, were arrested shortly after the killing, while a third suspect remains at large. During their interrogation, the arrested men claimed to have ties with the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. However, authorities have yet to confirm these claims or the gang’s involvement. Bishnoi, who is currently imprisoned in Gujarat, has been linked to several high-profile murders and extortion cases.
Police are probing the murder from two angles: one focuses on the possible involvement of the Bishnoi gang due to Mr Siddiqui’s proximity to Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who has previously received death threats from the gang. The second angle relates to a slum rehabilitation case in which Mr Siddiqui was reportedly involved. Sources suggest that Mr Siddiqui had received death threats just 15 days before the attack, prompting him to be placed under ‘Y’ category security cover.
The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has formed four special teams to investigate the case, but so far, no conclusive motive has been established.
Meanwhile, the death of Ratan Tata, the chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, has left a deep impact on the nation. Mr Tata, who had been undergoing routine medical investigations, died after a brief hospitalisation. His funeral was held on October 10 where he was cremated at an electric crematorium in Mumbai’s Worli Crematorium.
NDTV News-India-news