Two arrested in connection with Baba Siddique's killing, Lawrence Bishnoi link suspected

Two men have been arrested in connection with the killing of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique in Mumbai, on October 12. 

The 66-year-old former Maharashtra minister was shot in the stomach and chest by three men following which he was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital where he succumbed to injuries. 

The arrested duo, identified as Karnail Singh and Dharamraj Kashyap have claimed to be members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, India Today quoted police sources.

During investigation, the assailants reportedly stated that they had been keeping track on Siddique's movements for the last month.

The incident took place around 9.30 pm when Siddique was bursting firecrackers on the occasion of Dusshera, outside his son and Maharashtra MLA Zeeshan Siddique's office in Mumbai's Bandra East.

The former minister was shot by three men who emerged from a vehicle with handkerchiefs covering their faces. They opened fire with a 9.9 mm pistol, firing three rounds, one of which struck Siddiqui in the chest, causing him to collapse on the spot.

One of the bullets cracked the windshield of Baba Siddique's vehicle, which confirms that multiple shots were fired. Police also recovered three bullet casings from the scene, according to another video that surfaced online.

While the third suspect is absconding, the police arrested two, one of whom belongs to Uttar Pradesh, and the other is from Haryana.

A senior doctor at Lilavati Hospital said Siddique lost a lot of blood and all efforts to revive him failed. He was declared dead at 11:27 p.m. His body was later moved to Cooper Hospital for autopsy.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde promised strict action against those responsible for the attack on the NCP leader. "Two accused have been arrested, and one suspect is still at large. No one can take law and order into their own hands," Shinde said.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP Chief Ajit Pawar cancelled all his programmes scheduled for October 13 and condoled Siddique's death, stating he lost a "good colleague and a good friend".

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited Lilavati Hospital, where Siddique was taken after being shot.

The incident also caused political turmoil with opposition leaders raising questions over the law and order situation in Maharashtra after a former minister was openly shot at.

Congress leader KC Venugopal called Siddique’s death a "massive loss" and also criticised the Eknath Shinde-led government over the shooting, claiming that the incident showed that “criminals no longer fear the law in Maharashtra”.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi questioned how the government would keep the common people safe when it couldn't protect a political leader who had a 'Y' category security cover.