Raj Kanojia, a 22-year-old man who was struck by a stray bullet on the day former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique was shot dead in Mumbai, is now grappling with the emotional and physical consequences of his injury. The young man rues the fact that his recovery will keep him out of action for two months, which will make it difficult for him to contribute to his sister’s wedding, set for February.
Kanojia was injured by a stray bullet as six rounds were fired at Baba Siddique outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra, between 9:15 and 9:30 pm on Saturday. Two bullets struck the former minister in the chest, leading to his tragic death, while Kanojia was hit in the leg while returning from a juice shop.
Recalling the chaotic scene, Kanojia, from his hospital bed, shared his frustration. Dressed in a white kurta, he expressed his concern for his sister’s upcoming wedding. “Madad kya sir, ab toh pair main goli lag gayi hai. February main shadi hai sister ki. Do mahine kuch kar nahi paayege hum (What help can I give, sir, now that I’ve been shot in the leg? My sister’s wedding is in February. I won’t be able to do much),” he lamented.
Describing the moments of the shooting, he added, “The atmosphere was such that it felt like crackers were being burst. I thought a cracker had exploded near my foot, but then I saw blood. Soon, chaos erupted, and people started running, shouting that there had been a firing. Hobbling on one leg, I made it to a nearby temple, where people helped me and got me to a hospital,” Kanojia said, fighting back tears.
The Mumbai Police suspect that Baba Siddique’s murder was orchestrated by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently incarcerated in a Gujarat jail. Two shooters, Gurmail Baljit Singh and Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap, were arrested soon after the attack, while a third shooter, Shiv Kumar, remains at large.
Two of the three accused shooters—Shiv Kumar and Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap—hail from the small village of Gandara in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district. Both men, from poor families, had relocated to Pune earlier this year in search of work. Their families, when contacted, claimed to have no information about why or when they went to Mumbai. The third shooter, Gurmail Baljit Singh, is from Haryana.
Interestingly, in recent months, Shiv Kumar had taken to social media, flaunting his self-proclaimed “gangster” status. On July 24, he posted a photo on Instagram captioned, “Yaar tera gangster hai jaani (Your friend is a gangster),” while posing on a motorcycle with a Haryanvi song playing in the background.
Pravin Lonkar, another key accused in the case, was produced in a Mumbai court and remanded in police custody until October 21. He is accused of recruiting two of the shooters who attacked Siddique. The police are also searching for Pravin’s brother, Shubham Lonkar, who allegedly claimed on social media that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was responsible for the murder. The police revealed that Pravin had provided shelter to the shooters in Pune.
In the wake of the assassination, the Mumbai Police have established 15 teams to search beyond Maharashtra for suspects connected to the high-profile case.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has assured the public that those responsible for Baba Siddique’s murder will be brought to justice. The investigation remains ongoing, with law enforcement working to apprehend all involved parties.
A Mumbai police official also highlighted that Siddique was accompanied by just one constable at the time of the shooting, and the attackers took advantage of the Dussehra fireworks to cover their actions.
