Baba Siddique Murder Live Updates: NCP Leader Laid To Rest With Full State Honour, ‘Co-Conspirator’ Held From Pune
Baba Siddique Death: Pls follow this space for all the live updates on the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique in Mumbai on Saturday night.
The Mumbai police have arrested a 28-year-old man from Pune who along with his brother “enlisted” two of the three alleged shooters in the Baba Siddique murder case, an official said on Sunday. Police called the man, Pravin Lonkar, a “co-conspirator” and said they are on the lookout for his brother Shubham Lonkar. This is the third arrest in the case.According to the crime branch official, Pravin and Shubham “enlisted” two alleged shooters, a UP resident and Shivkumar Gautam.While Gautam is on the run, police have arrested the UP resident and another alleged shooter, identified as Gurmail Baljit Singh (23). The official said police went to Pune looking for Shubham Lonkar but did not find him there. They then nabbed his brother Pravin for his alleged involvement in the crime, he said. (PTI)
"Despite the heavy rainfall, thousands of people have come here (at Bada Qabrastan for the funeral), this shows how much people loved him. This is the total failure of the Maharashtra government. If a leader of the ruling alliance isn't secure, then how come opposition and common people could be safe," AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan tells PTI.
Baba Siddique was laid to rest with full state honour at Bada Qabrastan in Mumbai. NCP leaders including Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Ajit Pawar were present at the funeral.
Pravin Lonkar, the 28-year-old brother of Shubham Lonkar, has been arrested from Pune. He is one of the conspirators who, along with Shubham Lonkar, enlisted Dharmaraj Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam in the plot. Further investigation is underway: Mumbai Police (ANI)
Namaz-e-janaza was offered outside the residence of Baba Siddique, in Bandra
State honour being accorded to NCP leader Baba Siddique, who was murdered in Mumbai last night
Mortal remains of Baba Siddique being taken from residence, in Bandra for funeral procession. His last rites will be performed with full state honour at Bada Qabrastan, in Mumbai lines
RPI(A) chief and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale tells ANI, "Baba Siddique was a minority leader, but he was also attracted to the Dalit community. We had been friends for many years... We had never imagined something like this would happen. The murderers should be punished and those behind this should also be arrested... This is a great loss for Mahayuti..."
“As soon as Baba Siddique was murdered, police acted quickly and arrested two of the killers who were present at the spot and recovered murder weapons from them. One accused is on the run and police are trying to nab him. Soon, we will find out who is behind this murder. Government will find them and strictly punish them,” says Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde
Seeking the remand of accused Gurmail Singh, from Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh native Dharamraj Kashyap, police told court it wanted to probe if the case was a result of political rivalry since Maharashtra assembly polls are round the corner, PTI reported.
Mumbai Police DCP Crime Branch Datta Nalawade, at a press conference, says, "There were three people at the spot of incidence. Two have been caught and one is absconding... 15 teams of the Crime Branch are on the job... The angles of Lawrence Bishnoi, Salman Khan or any other angle is being investigated..."
"Mumbai Crime Branch recovered two pistols from both the accused. The accused had brought pepper spray, first, the accused were about to spray and then they were about to fire but the third accused Shiv Kumar Gautam started firing directly. Three constables were with Baba Siddiqui and at the time of the incident also three constables were there but they could not do anything. One more person has been injured in this firing," he informed.
Actor Salman Khan reaches Baba Siddique's residence, ANI reported
The accused persons' lawyer Siddharth Agarwal tells ANI, "The police produced the accused today. We objected to it and gave whatever grounds we could give to the court... The court considered all those grounds and one accused has been given custody till October 21. And the second accused will be produced again after an ossification test... The police asked for 14 days custody but the court has given a custody of 7 days... If the court thinks further investigation is necessary, it may grant further custody..."
According to ANI, Police custody of Dharamraj Kashyap was not given. The court has directed to present the second accused again after conducting his ossification test.
An ossification test is a medical procedure that estimates a person's age by analyzing the degree of fusion of their bones. It's a popular method for determining age.
Mumbai: The accused, identified as Gurmail Singh and Dharamraj Kashyap taken from Esplanade Court.
The Court sent accused Gurmail Singh to Mumbai Crime Branch custody till 21 October. Police custody of Dharamraj Kashyap was not given. The court has directed to present the second accused again after conducting his ossification test, ANI reported.
NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule leaves after visiting Baba Siddique's residence.
The fourth accused has been identified. The name of the fourth accused is Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar: Mumbai Police (ANI)
Actor Sohail Khan, his sister Arpita Khan Sharma, and BJP leader Shaina NC arrive at Baba Siddique's residence.
Two accused are still absconding, their search is on, ANI reported
Mumbai Crime Branch has recovered 28 live cartridges from the accused. They may also be associated with some international gang. Police have demanded 14 days of police custody of the accused, ANI reported.
On Baba Siddique's murder, Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh tells ANI, "It is the misfortune of Mumbai and Maharashtra. The government has been bringing the morale of the police down. If the people of the government and the police are not safe, then what about the common people? Why did the security personnel (of Baba Siddique) not fire back?... Maharashtra's law and order is at its lowest in the country right now..."
On Baba Siddique Murder case, Maharashtra Assembly LoP Vijay Wadettiwar tells ANI, "... The government policies cannot be trusted... Law and order in the state has collapsed. The state Home Minister needs to be held accountable... The conspiracy behind this act will be uncovered after due investigation but it will take time."
Meanwhile, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan remarked, "Is this an extortion murder? Did he get death threats or not? If yes, why was he not given proper security? This is a very serious matter. What kind of law and order is there in the state? Law and order has collapsed..."
Accused in the Baba Siddique murder case, identified as Gurmail Singh and Dharamraj Kashyap, were brought to Esplanade Court
On Baba Siddique's murder, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole tells ANI, "Law and order situation in Maharashtra has collapsed. Its result is that ruling side's leaders are not safe. Even young girls and women are not safe here..."
The two arrested accused, Gurmail Singh and Dharamraj Kashyap have been brought to a hospital for medical examination before being produced in Esplanade Court in Mumbai.
The mother of the absconding accused, Shiva Kumar has said that he was not speaking to the family and had not visited them since Holi. "He went to Pune to work in a scrapyard. I knew only this. I was not aware of what he was doing in Mumbai...He came home in Holi. After that, he did not come. He was not talking to me even on calls so I cannot say anything about the incident. His age is around 18-19 years...," she told ANI.
Security has been beefed up outside the residences of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the two Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.
The two arrested accused, Gurmail Singh and Dharamraj Kashyap have been taken to Esplanade Court in Mumbai.
One of the accused in the case, Gurmail Singh who hails from Haryana was in jail for four years, his grandmother told reporters. Singh, who is around 22-23 years old had been arrested in connection with a murder case, she added.
Former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav called the incident of Baba Siddique's murder as "worrisome" and called for immediate action against accused.
"It is a very sad incident. Yesterday we came to know that he has been murdered. In this hour of grief, we have full condolences with his family... We would like that the mastermind behind this should be caught as soon as possible... If murders are taking place in an area like Bandra in such a big city like Mumbai, then it is worrying. The state government should look into the law and order situation...," said the RJD leader.
Baba Siddique's post-mortem examination at Mumbai's Cooper Hospital has ended and the mortal remains have been handed over to his family. His body will be kept for people to pay their last respects before his burial at 8 pm today. The funeral will be held with full state honour, as instructed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
A Facebook post has claimed that Baba Siddique's murder was carried out by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The post, which mentions actor Salman Khan's name, is being verified by the cyber cell.
The third accused in connection with the matter has been identified as Shiv Kumar who has fled Mumbai city. The police have however traced his location and he will be arrested soon, said the police.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi has adjourned its meeting scheduled for today over the seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls, said Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.
A total of six rounds were fired at Baba Siddique of which three hit the former three-time MLA, said Mumbai Crime Branch. The third accused has been identified and he will be arrested soon, it added.
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde has instructed to arrange a funeral with full state honour for Baba Siddique as he served as minister in the Maharashtra govt during 2004-2008 and also as chairman of MHADA, his office said.
Siddique's burial will be held after sunset in Mumbai's Marine Lines area.
Mumbai Police have confirmed involvement of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in the killing of Baba Siddique, reported Indian Express. Bishnoi is the alleged mastermind in Sidhu Moosewala’s murder and the firing at Salman Khan’s Mumbai home, among other several high-profile murder and extortion cases.
Delhi Police Special Cell has said it will send a special investigation team to Mumbai to investigate the killing of Baba Siddique. It is believed that a suspected gangster's motive behind the murder of Baba Siddiqui was to establish his influence in Mumbai, reported ANI quoting sources.
The two arrested accused have been identified as Gurmail Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh, said the Mumbai Police. The accused had done recce of Baba Siddiqui's house and office premises, they were in Mumbai for one and a half to two months and were keeping an eye on him. The search for the third accused is on, several teams of the Mumbai Crime Branch are investigating this case, they said.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi slammed the Maharashtra government over the killing of former Congress party leader Baba Siddique saying the "horrifying" incident exposes the "complete collapse of law and order in Maharashtra."
"The tragic demise of Baba Siddique ji is shocking and saddening. My thoughts are with his family in this difficult time. This horrifying incident exposes the complete collapse of law and order in Maharashtra. The government must take responsibility, and justice must prevail," he said in an X post.
Former MLA Baba Siddique was brought "unresponsive" to the Lilavati Hospital after he was shot at outside his office in Mumbai on Saturday night, said Dr Niraj Uttamani. “He was brought at 9:30 pm in unresponsive condition with no pulse, no blood pressure with gun-shot wounds on the chest. He had lost a lot of blood. He was shifted to the ICU where further attempts at revival were done," Uttamani told reporters.
Despite all recessitive efforts, he was declared dead at 11:27 pm on October 12, 2024, he added.
Background
Baba Siddique Shot Dead: Pls follow this space for all the live updates on the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique in Mumbai on Saturday night. The Nationalist Congress Party leader was leaving his Kherwadi office in Mumbai on Saturday night when unidentified assailants opened fire at the former Maharasthra minister. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
According to Mumbai police, a 9.9mm rifle was used in the attack and the Siddique was shot twice in the chest.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that two of the three attackers have been arrested, who are origianally from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. The police are on a lookout for the third assailant.
Siddique has been a three-time MLA from Bandra (West) seat and was a prominent Muslim leader in the city with clost affinity to several Bollywood stars.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar called the attack as extremely unfortunate and condemnable. "I was shocked on learning that he died in this incident," said the Deputy CM, adding that he had lost a good friend and colleague.
"We have lost a leader who fought for the minority community and championed secularism," Pawar said and added that a thorough investigation would be conducted into the attack.
Those involved in the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique will not be spared, the BJP asserted on Sunday and slammed the opposition parties for indulging in "petty politics" on the crime.
Sixty-six-year-old Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister, was waylaid by three men at Kher Nagar in Mumbai's Bandra area just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office and shot dead on Saturday night.
The shocking incident has prompted the opposition to question the law and order situation in the state, where the assembly elections are expected to be held next month.
"Baba Siddique was a great human being. We are all saddened by his murder. Two of those involved in his murder have been caught and probe is on to find out those who were behind this," BJP national spokesperson and former Union minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain told PTI.
Maharashtra Police will not spare anyone involved in Siddique's murder, he asserted.
"The entire country is saddened by his murder but the opposition leaders are indulging in petty politics on this issue," he said.
Leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress are making "extremely petty statements" on the incident, he said.
"It's very sad that such kind of politics is happening. We are all saddened by this incident. There should be petty politics on this issue," Hussain added.
Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also slammed the opposition leaders and said it was not right for them to make "insensitive remarks on such a sensitive issue".
He said Siddique's murder is an "extremely serious criminal incident" and those involved in it will be caught.
The opposition leaders are talking nonsense as they are facing a "dearth of logical arguments", he told PTI.
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