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Baba given state funeral as police hunt for clues
The assassination of NCP leader Baba Siddique sparks a political crisis in Maharashtra, with police investigating ties to organized crime and gang rivalry.
The assassination of prominent National Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique ignited a political firestorm in Maharashtra even as police intensified their search for the mastermind and the motive for a brazen killing that now looms large over state elections due in the coming months.
Siddique was laid to rest on Sunday evening at Bada Kabristan in Marine Lines with full state honours. The funeral procession drew large crowds. Authorities have arrested three suspects, including two of the three alleged shooters, and one person they described as a “co-conspirator” who enlisted the shooters and may have links to the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
The investigation has sprawled across multiple states, with police teams from Maharashtra, Punjab, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh working to piece together the details of what officials said was a meticulously planned assassination.
As his administration came under attack, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Sunday that investigators have uncovered “some leads” in the case but declined to provide details, citing ongoing legal procedures. “Different angles behind the killing [are] being probed, but police will talk about it later,” Fadnavis told reporters in Gondia district.
Opposition parties accused the state government of overseeing a “complete collapse” of law and order, with the Congress party demanding a thorough investigation and calling for the resignations of chief minister Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge emphasised the need for accountability, stating, “Justice must be ensured, and the present Maharashtra govt must order a thorough and transparent investigation.” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi echoed these sentiments on social media, declaring that the “horrifying incident exposes the complete collapse of law and order in Maharashtra”.
Chief minister Eknath Shinde responded to the tragedy, saying, “We have directed the police to ensure no one takes law into their hands under any circumstances. We cannot allow any form of gang war to resurface in our city.”
The incident marks the first high-profile political murder in Mumbai in the last three decades, sending shockwaves through the state’s political establishment.
Police are exploring various motives, including contract killing, business rivalry, and threats related to a slum rehabilitation project. But a significant angle that gained traction on Sunday was the involvement of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which has emerged as a key focus of the investigation.
A man claiming to be Shubham Lonkar, an alleged operative of the Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility for the murder in a social media post verified by police. Lonkar, who remains at large, alleged that Siddique was killed due to his proximity to Bollywood star Salman Khan and his connections to the “trifecta of underworld, Bollywood and Mumbai’s realty business”. The post also suggested the murder was retaliation for the death of gang member Anuj Thapan in police custody, though the exact connection remains unclear.
Later, Mumbai Crime Branch announced they had arrested his brother Pravin Lonkar from Pune.
According to an official who asked not to be named, the Lonkar brothers, who run a scrap and dairy business, had previous encounters with law enforcement. Shubham was arrested in January under the Arms Act for allegedly supplying firearms to the Bishnoi gang and was released on bail in February.
“During investigation in that case we found that he had made several WhatsApp video calls to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in 2022 and 2023, and he was also in touch with Bishnoi’s brother Anmol,” said this official.
Lawrence Bishnoi has been lodged in Sabarmati jail since April last year.
According to police, Lonkar recruited Shiv Kumar Gautam, one of the three assailants and currently the suspect on the run, who then recruited Dharmraj Kashyap, his childhood friend and neighbour in Bharaich’s Gandara village. Kashyap has claimed to be a minor and is waiting a bone ossification test, while police say he is 19.
It was not yet clear how Singh came in contact with either Lonkar or Shiv Gautam, but investigators believe the assassination was planned for at least a month. Singh, 23, and Kashyap, along with Gautam, were reportedly housed in Kurla, near the crime scene for the past month. Each was allegedly paid ₹50,000 for the hit.
And two days prior to the murder, yet another operative of the Bishnoi gang gave the trio the arms and ammunition, while someone with knowledge of Siddique’s movements provided them his whereabouts. Deputy commissioner of police, Mumbai crime branch, Datta Nalawade said the police was on the lookout for Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, possibly the mastermind.
On Saturday, a metropolitan magistrate remanded Singh to police custody until October 21.
The murder has raised concerns about the reach of organised crime in Mumbai. A Delhi Police Special Cell team was set to join the investigation, offering its assistance given its familiarity with Bishnoi’s gang. “Since we have probed multiple gang activities and also helped with Sidhu Moosewala murder case, we know what the gang is up to… we want to offer help,” added a Delhi Police officer, who asked not to be named.
A second officer added, “We have finalised a team of four officials who will go and help with the identification of the third accused, his arrest and links to the Bishnoi gang. As per inputs from informers in jails and outside, the gang is trying to expand their reach outside Delhi and north India”.
Siddique, 66, was ambushed and shot outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra on Saturday night. He sustained two gunshot wounds to his chest and was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Dr Jalil Parkar, a physician at the hospital, described the futile attempts to save Siddique: “Around 9.30 pm, Baba Siddique was brought here. When he arrived in the emergency room, his pulse and blood pressure were unrecordable, and the ECG showed a flat line. We shifted him to the ICU.”
The victim, a former Maharashtra minister who had recently joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP after quitting the Congress, was known for his political acumen and extensive connections in Bollywood.
