Murder of high-profile politician Baba Ziauddin Siddique in Mumbai raises widespread concern across India, a severe blow to political landscape in Maharashtra. Siddique was shot dead on Saturday night near his son’s office in the busy Bandra area of Mumbai. The killer struck at a moment when he was just about to get into his car. This attack was committed while the security of Siddique had been raised following death threats.”.
With the murder of Siddique, the gruesome killings of the 1990s spring to mind. Mumbai’s politicians, industrialists, and even Bollywood stars were frequently targeted by the underworld then. Three persons have been held so far and investigations are underway. According to the report, the three are said to be connected with the Bishnoi gang, whose leader Lawrence Bishnoi is behind bars. A social media post apparently claiming to be made by a gangster shortly after the incident assumed responsibility for the murder, although the authorities have so far not been able to verify the claims.
A native of Bihar, Baba Siddique began his political career as a student leader for the Congress party and rose to be one of the influential figures in Maharashtra politics. He was thrice elected as a member of the state legislator and became a minister between 2004 and 2008. This year, he crossed over from the Congress and joined the Nationalist Congress Party, an ally of the current government in Maharashtra, along with the BJP and Shiv Sena.
Apart from this political contribution, Siddique was known for the high-profile iftar parties he organized during Ramadan. Bollywood superstars would come together to break their day-long fast, and the one he had in 2013 made headlines as Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan, two of Bollywood’s biggest superstars, broke their bread after many months of separation.
A political blame game has begun over the killing. As for the Congress leaders pointing fingers at a “failure of law and order” under Maharashtra’s government, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde vowed the perpetrators would be brought to book and assured the public that culprits would not escape punishment.
The murder of Siddique, along with growing concerns over public safety just at the advent of Maharashtra’s assembly elections, is believed to have crucial implications for the state’s political climate.
