‘Bishnoi gang likely behind murder of Mumbai NCP leader’

Two shooters produced in court and one claims he is a minor; hunt intensified for remaining assailants; Shinde govt. announces State funeral for former Minister

Hours after jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang claimed responsibility for the assassination of Maharashtra’s former Minister Baba Siddique, a leader of Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), sources in the Mumbai Police have confirmed the alleged involvement.

The 66-year-old leader was shot dead by three persons weeks before the Assembly polls. Two of the three assailants, Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), a native of Haryana, and a teenager from Uttar Pradesh, were presented before a local court in Mumbai on Sunday (October 13, 2024), with Mr. Singh being remanded in police custody till October 21 for further interrogation. The second accused’s age remains disputed, prompting the court to order an ossification test to verify his claims of being a minor.

The court instructed the police to present the second accused again after his bone ossification test, which would determine whether the case would proceed in a regular court or a juvenile court. At the remand hearing, the second accused claimed he was 17, identifying as a minor. However, the police stated that an Aadhaar card they recovered showed his age as 21, and they had no other documents to verify his age.

The court paused proceedings and asked the prosecution to present the Aadhaar card. The police submitted a photo of the card taken on an officer’s mobile phone. After the defence confirmed that the Aadhaar details were correct, the court resumed the remand hearing, despite the photo not resembling him.

Seeking a 14-day remand for both accused, the police informed the court that the two had stayed in Mumbai and Pune prior to the shooting and that an investigation was needed to identify their financial backers. The police also needed to determine how the suspects obtained the weapons and vehicle used in the crime, as well as who provided them with firearms training.

The prosecution stated that the victim was a former Minister with security, yet the attackers succeeded in killing him. Given the upcoming Assembly elections, the police expressed the need to investigate possible political motives and any international connections to the crime.

Advocate Sidharth Agarwal, representing the accused, argued that while the crime was tragic, the involvement of his clients had not been proven and that they may have been falsely implicated due to political rivalry. After hearing both sides, the court remanded Mr. Singh in police custody and ordered a bone ossification test for the other accused.

Shivkumar Gautam and Mohammed Zeeshan Akhtar are still at large. Mr. Gautam was one of the shooters whom the police managed to track down till Panvel, while Mr. Akhtar allegedly received the contract to kill Siddique.

Police said one Pravin Lonkar, 28, brother of Shubham Lonkar, was arrested in Pune. He was identified as one of the key conspirators who, along with Shubham, recruited the teenager and Mr. Gautam for the plot. 

“Initially, we were not sure if the assassination was carried out by Lawrence Bishnoi gang as claimed by them in a social media post, but when we probed, we found potential links. The accused have links to the gang, which is charged with attempting to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan,” a senior police officer privy to the development told The Hindu.

He said the accused had been monitoring the former Minister’s movements for the past three months. “They were closely monitoring his movements,” the officer said.

Siddique was ambushed by three men near his son and MLA Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Kher Nagar, Bandra on Saturday (October 12, 2024). He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital’s emergency department at 9.30 p.m., arriving in an unresponsive state with no pulse, cardiac activity, or blood pressure, and suffering from gunshot wounds to the chest, according to hospital officials. Despite significant blood loss, resuscitation efforts were immediately initiated, and he was moved to the ICU for further attempts at revival. Despite all medical efforts, doctors were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead at 11.27 p.m.

Siddique’s mortal remains were laid to rest at Bada Qabrastan, Marine Lines on Sunday. 

CMO statement

Earlier, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has directed that the funeral of former Minister Siddique be conducted with full state honours. Siddique, who served as a Minister of State for various departments between 2004 and 2008, was also the President of MHADA during his tenure. The decision to accord State honours reflects Siddique’s contributions to Maharashtra’s governance and public welfare, a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) read.

In the aftermath, it was revealed that Siddique had one police constable guarding him when he was attacked. Two pistols and 28 live rounds were recovered from the two accused, according to the Mumbai Police.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Datta Nalawade said 15 police teams had been deployed across Maharashtra to trace those who provided logistical support to the shooters.

He said the victim was provided non-categorised security and was allotted three police constables. “These constables work in three shifts. At the time of the attack, one policeman was accompanying Siddique,” Mr. Nalawade said.

The police are probing whether the murder was motivated by political rivalry, given the proximity of the Maharashtra Assembly elections or a business rivalry, a possible contract killing, or disputes over a slum rehabilitation project.

As the investigation progresses, police are attempting to uncover the sources of the weapons and training used by the shooters, as well as any international connections to the crime. The investigators are also trying to identify the locations where the assailants had stayed after coming to Mumbai, and who helped them.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the police had found some leads in connection with the assassination by three assailants.

Mr. Fadnavis, who also holds the Home department portfolio, stated that different angles were being probed, but details would be revealed after further investigation. “Some leads have been found, but I cannot disclose them yet,” Mr. Fadnavis said. The killing has sparked political outrage, with NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar criticising the State government, demanding accountability, and calling for its resignation. In response, Mr. Fadnavis accused Mr. Pawar of prioritising political gains during a serious situation.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, in a post on X, urged a thorough investigation, while the Opposition has blamed the ruling government for lawlessness.

Published - October 13, 2024 09:24 pm IST