Security has been heightened outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s Galaxy Apartment in Bandra following the murder of former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique on Saturday evening. Visuals showed increased police presence outside the actor’s residence, as concerns grew over potential threats.
Baba Siddique, a prominent leader from Ajit Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), was shot by assailants near Nirmal Nagar, Bandra. He later succumbed to his injuries at Lilavati Hospital on Saturday night. Salman Khan, a long-time friend of Siddique, visited the hospital to offer condolences to the grieving family.
The security boost comes just months after an earlier scare at Khan’s residence in April, when two men on motorcycles fired shots outside his home. The attackers, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, were later apprehended in Gujarat.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Police have launched a thorough investigation into Siddique’s murder. The case has been registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Arms Act, and Maharashtra Police Act. Two suspects, Gurmail Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh, have already been arrested, with revelations pointing to detailed planning behind the attack.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that Siddique would be accorded a state funeral in recognition of his service as a former minister and chairman of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also revealed that five investigative teams have been dispatched to various states, and further details about the individuals behind the murder are expected in the coming days.