Former minister Baba Siddique, killed at Dussehra rally in Mumbai | Bombay News

Bombay: Ex-Minister Baba Siddiquethe saturday killing despite being under police protection it was a chilling throwback to the gangland killings of the 1990s. The shooting took place during a Dussehra demonstration in Bandra at a time when the streets were heavily patrolled, raising concerns about law and order in Mumbai.
The attack took place outside his son Zeeshan’s office in Nirmal Nagar, Bandra at around 9.30 pm. Siddique was only accompanied by one of his two police guards assigned at the time, the other having left earlier in the evening. Witnesses reported that the attackers shot him from just 3 feet away, while his police guard did nothing to intervene. It was later revealed that the guard had been incapacitated by pepper sprayallowing the gunmen to escape.
DCP (crime) Datta Nalawade said no special security arrangement had been made for the three-time MLA. He also confirmed that Siddique had not filed any complaint for threats. Siddique had received standard police protection: two officers during the day and one at night.
According to witnesses, the police guard did not react when the three assailants approached Siddique and opened fire from just 3 feet away. “They sprayed pepper spray on the police guard after the shooting, so he couldn’t react,” said an investigating officer. “Local police, along with members of the public, managed to arrest two of the attackers after they tried to hide in a nearby building,” said an officer. He said a protection branch is also conducting an investigation to find out if there was any lapse on the guard’s part.
The killing has been compared to high-profile gangland killings of the 1990s, including the murders of BJP leader Prem Kumar Sharma and former Muslim League MP Ziauddin Bukhari. The brazenness of the attack, combined with its timing during a public event like Dussehra, has raised security concerns.