INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Baba Siddique, a prominent Muslim leader from Mumbai, was also known be close to several Bollywood stars, including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh
(Photo: PTI)4 min read Last Updated : Oct 13 2024 | 2:48 PM IST
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said police
have found some leads in connection with the killing of NCP leader and former state minister Baba Siddique.
Different angles behind the
killing were being probed, but police will talk about it later, Fadnavis, who holds charge of the state home department, told reporters in
Gondia district.Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp
Siddique (66), who joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP in February this year after
quitting the Congress, was waylaid by three persons at Kher Nagar in Mumbai's Bandra area just outside his son's office and shot at on
Baba Siddique was very close to me, we had worked together for years," Fadnavis said.
"Some leads have been found, but I cannot reveal
Some angles behind the attack are also found, but police will talk about it once the legal procedure is over," the BJP leader
said.
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar has targeted the state government, saying there is a need to
take responsibility over the incident and for the rulers to step down.
Asked about Sharad Pawar's comments, Fadnavis said, "He is only
keen on attaining power even when such serious incidents have taken place
His eyes are on power, while we are looking at Maharashtra and its development and safety."A Mumbai police official on Sunday said they have
come across a viral post on social media in the name of an alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claiming responsibility for
Siddique's murder.
"We have seen the viral social media post, we are verifying its authenticity," the official said.
Notably, some
Bishnoi gang members had been held in connection with the firing outside Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's residence in Mumbai in April this
year.
Baba Siddique, a prominent Muslim leader from Mumbai, was also known be close to several Bollywood stars, including Salman Khan,
Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt.
The Mumbai police have launched a probe into the killing of Siddique from different angles, including a
possible contract killing, business rivalry or threat over a slum rehabilitation project, officials earlier said.
The murder is suspected
to be a pre-planned act, a police official said.BJP also asserted that those involved in the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique will not be
spared, and slammed the opposition parties for indulging in "petty politics" on the crime.
"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.First Published: Oct 13 2024 | 2:39 PMIST
