In his first public response following the assassination of his father, former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, Bandra East MLA Zeeshan Siddique has called for justice for his family. He urged that his father's death should not be politicized or forgotten.
In a post on X on Thursday, Zeeshan wrote: "My father lost his life protecting and saving the lives and homes of poor innocent people. Today, my family is broken but his death must not be politicised and definitely not go in vain. I NEED JUSTICE, MY FAMILY NEEDS JUSTICE!"
Baba Siddique, 66, was gunned down by three men outside Zeeshan's Bandra East office around 9:30 pm on October 13, during the Dussehra festival. According to police, six bullets were fired, with four hitting Siddique and one striking his aide. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Two suspects, Gurmail Baljit Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh, were arrested soon after the shooting. However, the third suspect, Shiv Kumar Gautam from Uttar Pradesh, remains at large.
Kashyap, during a court appearance, claimed he was a minor, but a bone ossification test confirmed he was an adult, contradicting his initial claim.
Police sources revealed that the attackers are allegedly linked to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently incarcerated in Gujarat's Sabarmati jail. A social media post from the Facebook account of Shubham Rameshwar Lonkar, believed to be associated with the Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility for the assassination. This post was reportedly made by Lonkar's brother, Pravin, who has since been arrested in Pune.
On Tuesday, police made another arrest in connection with the case, detaining Harishkumar Balakram, 23, from Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh. Balakram, who worked as a scrap dealer in Pune, is believed to have been part of the conspiracy to kill Baba Siddique. Meanwhile, the handler of the shooters, Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, remains on the run.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the murder, as Zeeshan Siddique and his family seek justice for the loss of their loved one.