Widow of Slain Ex-Minister Moves Bombay High Court
The widow of former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Baba Siddique has approached the Bombay High Court seeking a court-monitored investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or an independent agency into her husband's murder. Shezeen Siddique filed the petition alleging serious lapses in the police investigation conducted by the Nirmal Nagar police station in Bandra (East).
Allegations of Abandoned Investigation
In her petition filed through advocate Trivankumar Karnani, Shezeen has made startling claims that the investigation was not only "misleading" but was deliberately left "half-way" and later "abandoned to save the persons involved in the murder." The plea specifically alleges that police failed to examine crucial evidence pointing toward a builder lobby's involvement.
Baba Siddique was shot dead by three assailants outside his son Zeeshan's office in Bandra (East) on October 12 last year. Despite the gravity of the crime involving a prominent political figure, the investigation has allegedly stalled.
Builder Lobby Angle Ignored, Claims Petition
The petition reveals that Shezeen possesses "crucial material in the nature of WhatsApp messages and recordings" that allegedly point to the involvement of builders and developers interested in slum rehabilitation projects in Siddique's assembly constituency. According to the plea, Siddique, who actively safeguarded slum dwellers' interests, had become "a big hurdle in the way of the main builders and developers" working on SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Authority) projects.
Shezeen contends that police "intentionally" avoided recording her statement to prevent the role of the real culprits from coming on record. The petition states that her son, Zeeshan, had named several builders including Mohit Kamboj, Prithvijeet Chavan, Ashok Mundra, and Vijay Thakkar in his police statement, but no proper investigation followed these leads.
The family's concerns are amplified by previous incidents mentioned in the petition:
- On July 15 last year, Siddique received a threat message from developer Prithvijeet Rajaram Chavan, after which he sought security cover.
- During clashes between residents and police on August 1, an associate of builder Mohit Kamboj used derogatory language against Siddique publicly.
Political Links and Extradition Details
The petition makes another serious allegation that the suspected offenders have "strong political links with the ruling party in Maharashtra." Because of this perceived conflict, Shezeen has urged the court to transfer the probe to a police force from another state with no affiliation to Maharashtra's ruling party.
Currently, the investigation appears to focus on Anmol Bishnoi, brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, whom police allege committed the murder for revenge. However, the family learned only in August this year through an RTI reply that a request for Bishnoi's extradition from the US was initiated on November 11, 2024.
The plea argues that the police theory remains incomplete unless the "reason for taking the revenge" is properly established and investigated. The Bombay High Court is expected to hear the matter next week, where Shezeen has also sought directions to police to place the current status of the probe on record.
