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."
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
