Baba Siddique’s murder case: Nine arrested, son calls for justice through cryptic message
New Delhi: The investigation into the murder of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique has intensified, with the number of arrests rising to nine. On Friday, his son, MLA Zeeshan Siddique, shared a cryptic message on X (formerly Twitter), prompting speculation about the ongoing situation.
On the same day, Zeeshan Siddique met with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also oversees the home department in the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led government. During the meeting, Zeeshan was updated on the police investigation into his father's murder.
Following the meeting, Zeeshan expressed his desire for justice, urging that his father’s death should not be politicized or go unavenged. Baba Siddique was shot near Zeeshan's office in Nirmal Nagar, Bandra, Mumbai, on October 12.
The police have apprehended nine suspects so far, including five who were arrested on Friday during raids in Panvel and Karjat in the neighboring Raigad district.
Amid the ongoing investigation, a shooter linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang made controversial claims regarding Siddique’s character, suggesting he had ties to notorious criminal Dawood Ibrahim. Yogesh alias Raju, 26, affiliated with both the Lawrence Bishnoi and Hashim Baba gangs, stated, “Charges were against him under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). When individuals associate with people like Dawood, adverse outcomes are likely.”
In a related development, the Mumbai police have heightened security for Bollywood actor Salman Khan following threats received after Siddique's murder. Police reported that Khan received a demand for ₹5 crore, purportedly to resolve his conflicts with the incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The message ominously warned that failing to comply would lead to Khan's fate being "worse than Baba Siddique's."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
