E-Paper
‘Bullets hit me, I won’t survive. I will die’: Baba Siddique's last words after shot at
Baba Siddique, born Ziauddin Siddique, hailed from humble beginnings in South Mumbai, where his father repaired wristwatches, but he was drawn to politics.
After being attacked by three heavily armed assailants, former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique's last words were, “Bullets hit me, I won't survive. I will die.”
NCP workers recounted the assassination attempt and the moments that followed, which led to Siddique being taken to Lilavati Hospital for treatment.
A party worker shared that after attending Namaz on October 12, Siddique's son, Zeeshan, informed his father he was going to Chetna College for food.
Also read: Baba Siddique's son demands justice: ‘My family is broken’
Siddique responded that he would leave in two to three minutes after completing his work. The father-son duo had a meeting planned for the opening of a new project in Naupada on Sunday, as reported by Free Press Journal.
As Baba Siddique left the office with party workers, a police bodyguard, and a driver, the shooters opened fire when he reached his car, a police officer said, mentioning that two bullets hit Siddique in the chest and one struck a bystander in the leg, the report mentioned.
Baba Siddique, whose given name was Ziauddin Siddique had modest beginnings. His father repaired wristwatches at a stall in Fort, in South Mumbai, but a young Siddique was drawn to politics.
As a teenager, he joined the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress, in 1977. He was later elected its Mumbai president, and appointed president of the Mumbai Youth Congress in 1988.
Siddique was close to Sunil Dutt, the late actor-turned-politician and Member of Parliament (MP) from Mumbai-North West, who enjoyed enormous goodwill. Siddique was a confidant of the Dutt family and was often seen with Sanjay and Priya Dutt, who became MP after her father’s death.
Siddique’s initiation into mainstream politics took place in 1992, when he was elected municipal corporator for the first time, and then once more. He became an MLA from the Bandra West assembly constituency in 1999. He served two more terms, in 2004 and 2009.
