Some leads found in Baba Siddique murder case, says Devendra Fadnavis

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.

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 Saturday night.

He was taken to the Lilavati Hospital where he was declared dead.

"Everyone of us has been shocked due this horrific and tragic incident. Baba Siddique was very close to me, we had worked together for years," Fadnavis said.

"Some leads have been found, but I cannot reveal them now. 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.