The brutal assassination of veteran Indian politician Baba Siddique in October 2024 has shaken Mumbai and reignited fears of gangland violence reminiscent of the city’s darker decades. As revealed in a detailed investigation by the Financial Times, Siddique’s killing was allegedly orchestrated by incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, whose criminal empire continues to operate with shocking impunity from behind bars.
Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister and a long-time power broker in Mumbai’s high society, was gunned down on a busy festival evening while leaving his son Zeeshan Siddique’s campaign office in Bandra West. The 66-year-old politician, known for his deep ties across the political and entertainment worlds, was helping steer his son’s re-election campaign in what had become a tense local contest.
According to the Financial Times, three assailants exploited the chaos of Dussehra festivities to ambush Siddique. The shooters—hired foot soldiers of Bishnoi’s growing criminal network—opened fire as firecracker smoke masked their approach. Siddique succumbed to gunshot wounds hours later in hospital.
The investigation into the murder rapidly pointed to the Bishnoi gang. Lawrence Bishnoi, already infamous for his alleged role in multiple state-sponsored assassinations and extortion rackets, is believed to have directed the hit from his prison cell. A chilling social media post from a Bishnoi affiliate claimed responsibility and framed the attack as retribution for Siddique’s longstanding friendship with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.
Khan, who has his own long and controversial history with the Bishnoi community—stemming from a 1998 blackbuck poaching case in Rajasthan—was described in the post as the gang’s ultimate target. “Salman Khan, we did not want this war,” the message read. “We did it as a righteous act.” Siddique’s murder appears to be a gruesome message aimed at Khan and those in his orbit.
The Financial Times investigation traces the complex and often contradictory roots of this violence, from the eco-religious zeal of the Bishnoi community—known for their historic protection of wildlife and nature—to the rise of Lawrence Bishnoi, a student leader-turned-ganglord who has blended environmental rhetoric with ruthless criminal ambition.
The Siddique family, once emblematic of Mumbai’s political glamour, has been left devastated. Zeeshan Siddique, who idolised his father, has vowed to continue his political career but faces new dangers in a city where the lines between celebrity, politics, and organized crime grow ever murkier.
Authorities have since made multiple arrests connected to the murder and an attempted shooting at Salman Khan’s residence earlier in 2024. Police say the suspects were radicalised online, promised significant payment, and used social media to coordinate and celebrate their actions. Among the revelations: one gunman reportedly contacted Anmol Bishnoi—Lawrence’s younger brother—via Snapchat after the hit, confirming it had been carried out.
The case has sparked renewed criticism of India’s prison system, with officials acknowledging how inmates like Bishnoi continue to wield extraordinary power through corrupt networks and porous security. Footage of Bishnoi working out and giving interviews from jail has only fuelled public outrage.
“This wasn’t just a political killing—it was a symbolic one,” said a retired police inspector interviewed by the Financial Times. “It showed that even in prison, Bishnoi can reach anyone.”
The murder of Baba Siddique now serves as a grim flashpoint in India’s battle against a new era of organised crime—one that blends digital influence, historic grievance, and vigilante justice into a volatile cocktail of violence.
For now, Mumbai mourns a veteran leader as the nation watches anxiously to see if justice will truly be served—or if Siddique’s death is only a prelude to more bloodshed.
