A senior politician in India’s financial capital Mumbai was shot dead on Saturday, weeks ahead of key state elections, with police probing the role of a notorious crime gang. Baba Siddique, 66, a local lawmaker and former minister in Maharashtra state, was shot multiple times in the chest outside his son’s office in Mumbai, Indian media reported. Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, from the same party as Siddique, said he was “shocked” by the “cowardly attack”. Meanwhile, in 2023, in Uttar Pradesh, India, Atiq Ahmad, a politician with over 100 criminal cases, was shot dead on live TV while being escorted by police for a medical checkup. As he spoke to journalists, a gunman approached and shot him in the head, followed by multiple rounds.

Source: Punch October 13, 2024 18:21 UTC