In a tragic turn of events, Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap, one of the shooters arrested for the murder of Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique, was previously an academically promising student, scoring 78% in his class 10 board exams. Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, his family had envisioned a career in medicine for him, but the allure of social media led him down a dark path.
Anurag, Dharmaraj’s elder brother, spoke to The Times of India, expressing his regret over his brother’s choices. “Dharmaraj is now frightened. He succumbed to the allure of social media, where gangsters bragged about their exploits and ventured down a misguided path in pursuit of monetary gain and influence,” he explained.
He revealed that Dharmaraj idolized gangsters like Lawrence Bishnoi, which greatly influenced his behavior. “I reproach myself for not being able to look after my younger brother,” Anurag lamented.
After failing to appear for his 12th class board exams, Dharmaraj reportedly left for Pune with Shivkumar Gautam, the prime suspect in Siddique’s murder who is currently on the run. Anurag described Shivkumar as being younger but more mature than Dharmaraj, despite being a class five dropout. “Neither exhibited any violent behaviour while they were in the village,” he added.
Baba Siddique, 66, was a former Congress leader who joined the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party earlier this year. He was shot dead by three assailants in Mumbai’s Nirmal Nagar area on October 12, just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique’s office.
As of now, police have arrested ten individuals in connection with the shooting, including Gurmail Singh, another alleged shooter, and Dharmaraj Kashyap. The crime branch teams are intensifying their search for the absconding suspect, Shivkumar Gautam, who is believed to be the main shooter in this high-profile case.
The tragic story of Dharmaraj Kashyap serves as a stark reminder of how easily a promising future can be overshadowed by the allure of gang culture and social media influence.
