NCP leader Baba Siddique was shot dead by unknown assailants in Mumbai on Saturday night. Mumbai Police has apprehended two persons related to the incident. The former Maharashtra minister had quit the Congress earlier this year to join the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party in February.
The three-time MLA from Bandra West was the second senior member of the Mumbai Congress to depart — after former union minister Milind Deora joined the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena in January.
His son Zeeshan was also expelled from the party in August — a month after it came to light that seven Congress MLAs cross-voted in biennial elections to 11 seats of the Legislative Council. Zeeshan Siddique was elected as a Congress MLA from Bandra (East) in Mumbai.
Siddique was recently accorded ‘Y’ category security after receiving death threats at the end of September.
“I was shocked on learning that he died in this incident. We have lost a leader who fought for the minority community and championed secularism,” Pawar wrote on X.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde earlier said Mumbai police commissioner Vivek Phansalkar had told him that two alleged shooters have been taken into custody. One of them is from Uttar Pradesh and the other from Haryana, while a third accused fled from the spot. Police have also recovered a 9.9mm pistol that was used in the crime.
The Mumbai Crime Branch is currently investigating the case.
Doctors at Lilavati Hospital said the politician was admitted around 9:30 am after sustaining two gunshot wounds to his chest. He had arrived at the emergency room with pulse and bloodpressure in an 'unreadable' state and the ECG indicating a "flat line". He was shifted to the ICU and eventually declared dead around 11:27 pm after extensive resuscitiative efforts.
(With inputs from agencies)
