Baba Siddique, a senior Mumbai politician, was shot dead in Bandra East Saturday evening by three unidentified assailants. He was 66. The Mumbai Police have detained two individuals in connection with the incident and the case has been handed over to the crime branch. The former Maharashtra minister was rushed to Lilavati Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. The firing occurred outside the office of his MLA son, Zeeshan Siddiqui, an official said. "Two to three rounds were fired," he added. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said,: "Ex-minister Baba Siddique has died in an unfortunate firing incident. two people have been arrested. One is from Haryana and one from Uttar Pradesh. The third is absconding. We will ensure that all guilty are arrested." The Opposition, however, reacted to Siddique's death by condemning the 'deteriorating' law and order situation in the state. Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar said: "It is unfortunate that former minister Baba Siddique was shot dead despite giving Y-level security. We have been warning about the growing criminal activities in Mumbai but those were not taken seriously. Mumbai was silent but such incidents are growing. This government has been supporting criminals and we demand that a detailed probe should be conducted."
