Three men armed with pepper spray and chili powder attacked Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique on Saturday. According to reports, the assailants used chili powder against the police constable guarding the former Maharashtra minister before launching their attack.
Baba Siddique was fatally shot late Saturday evening. Mumbai Police have since arrested two shooters: Gurmail Baljit Singh, 23, from Haryana, and Dharmaraj Kashyap, 19, from Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, the third suspect, Shiv Kumar Gautam, remains on the run. On Sunday, authorities identified a fourth suspect, Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, and also arrested an individual named Pravin Lonkar in connection with the case.
The police revealed that the attackers initially planned to use pepper spray before opening fire on Siddique. However, Shiv Kumar Gautam deviated from the plan and began firing immediately. The attack took place while firecrackers were being set off during a Durga ‘visarjan’ procession.
According to NDTV, Singh and Kashyap were instructed to shoot the 66-year-old leader amidst the Dussehra procession and fireworks. However, after noticing the heavy crowd and security around Siddique, Gautam made the decision to fire first. The report also indicated that Gautam fired six shots at Siddique, and soon after, the attackers used chili powder against the police constable. “Shiv Kumar then fled after hiding in the crowd, but Singh and Kashyap were caught,” the report added.
Datta Nalawade, DCP Crime Branch, stated that Siddique was shot outside his son’s office around 9:30 pm on Saturday. Despite not having officially categorized security, Siddique was being protected by three constables from the Mumbai Police. Nalawade noted, “Three constables were with Baba Siddique at the time of the shooting, but they could not do anything.” One other person sustained injuries during the shooting incident.
Nalawade confirmed that a case was filed at the Nirmal Nagar Police Station. Two suspects were arrested at the scene, and police recovered two pistols and 28 rounds from them. Authorities are also investigating the involvement of Lawrence Bishnoi in the murder.
Initially, the attackers were mistaken for mobile thieves as they fled through the Durga Puja procession after shooting Siddique, as reported by the *Times of India*. The three assailants moved through the crowd of devotees and ran to a Children’s Park located 25-30 meters away.
“Initially, everyone thought they were mobile thieves. Two of them were seen entering the park, while a third disappeared into the crowd. We pursued the two armed suspects to the deserted Children Park near the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training Regional Office,” an official stated.
