The bullets hit me… I won’t survive… I will die…” These were the last words spoken by NCP leader and former MLA Baba Siddique after he was shot by three shooters at Kherwadi on Saturday night. In CCTV footage from cameras near Siddique’s son Zeeshan’s office, police found that the shooters had waited outside the office for more than half an hour, drinking free sharbat provided to devotees by the local mandal on the occasion of Dussehra.
mid-day spoke with the karyakartas (party workers) of NCP leader Baba Siddique, who were present at the office during the shooting. The karyakartas demanded justice for Siddique’s murder and called for the arrest of the mastermind who ordered Siddique to be killed.
One karyakarta, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said, “At around 11 am, Baba Siddique arrived at Zeeshan’s office in Kherwadi with his son Zeeshan. A program was organised by the local community in Kherwadi, and both Baba and Zeeshan were invited. In the evening, Zeeshan and his father offered Namaz in the office.”
“After Namaz, Zeeshan told his father that he was going near Chetna College to get some food. Zeeshan left the office, and Baba Siddique told him that he would also leave in tow to three minutes after finishing his work. The father-son duo had a meeting planned for the opening of a new project in Naupada on Sunday,” a close karyakarta further shared. A police officer stated, “Two shooters, Gurmail Baljit Singh, 23, and Dharamraj Kashyap, 19, were arrested by Nirmal Nagar police and handed over to the Crime Branch. The third accused, Shivkumar Gautam, 23, is still absconding.”
The officer added, “We discovered that the three shooters had been waiting outside Zeeshan’s office, drinking sharbat provided free to devotees on Dussehra. As Baba Siddique left the office with his party workers, a police bodyguard, and a driver, the shooters opened fire when he reached his car. Two bullets hit Siddique in the chest, and one bullet hit a bystander in the leg.” A karyakarta recounted, “Three party members ran inside the office to call for help. A karyakarta, who had worked with Baba Siddique for 28 years, held him while they rushed him to the car with the police officer.
Baba Siddique told him, ‘The bullets hit me… I won’t survive… I will die.’ As they drove him to Lilavati Hospital, Siddique collapsed after passing the Kherwadi signal in Bandra. When they reached the reclamation, he tightly held the worker’s hand and passed away.” At Lilavati Hospital, Siddique was admitted around 9.30 pm, but after checking his ECG, doctors declared him dead two hours later. Another karyakarta added, “We want justice for our leader’s murder. The mastermind should be arrested. We don’t believe that the Bishnoi gang is behind the murder.”