Baba Siddique murder: Wife moves Bombay HC, claims builder-politician nexus, demands SIT probe

Shehzin Ziauddin Siddique, the widow of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, who was gunned down in Bandra East on October 12, 2024, has moved the Bombay High Court seeking a fresh probe into the murder. Ms. Siddiq, in her petition, demanded that the investigation be handed over to a court-supervised Special Investigation Team (SIT) or an independent officer or police department from another state.

The current investigation by the Mumbai police is “biased, flawed and incomplete” and willfully avoids investigating the role of politically connected builders involved in slum redevelopment projects, the petition alleged. “The whole investigation is a scene that gives the impression of a painstaking and thorough investigation… but the nature of the same is like ‘digging up a mountain and finding a rat,'” the report said.

While the police named Anmol Bishnoi, the brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, as the alleged mastermind, Ms Siddique contested the claim. She alleged that Bishnoi’s role is being used to divert attention from the real culprits. “It is unacceptable and persuasive that he will be terminated for the given petty reasons,” the petition said, adding that the allegation “stops at Anmol Bishnoi without going to the root of the truth”.

The petition further alleged that investigating officer Kishore Kumar Shinde was acting under political pressure and was deliberately avoiding questioning the main suspects.

Among those named in the petition are developers Mohit Kamboy, Prithvijit Rajaram Chavan, Ashok Mundra, Nabil Patel and others, who are believed to be part of a construction lobby with strong political backing. It alleged that Baba Siddique was an “obstacle” to SRA’s lucrative projects in Bandra to Andheri and was eliminated for opposing them.

A WhatsApp message sent by Chavan to Baba Siddiqui on July 15, 2024 is cited as evidence of the threat. The petition quotes a message Mr Siddique sent to his wife on July 29: “I would not want you to jeopardize Zeeshan’s political career for my project or my profits.”

The petition also documented repeated requests for increased security by Baba Siddique and his son Zeeshan Siddique, then sitting MLA, to the Police Commissioner and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. These requests were allegedly ignored.

The petition said that Baba Siddique was to be nominated as a member of the Legislative Council (MILC), adding a political motive to the murder.

After the murder, 26 people were arrested and booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act (MCOCA). The 5,500-page indictment was filed in January 2025. However, Shehzeen Siddique claimed that the evidence was “voluminous but misleading” and that her own statement as a key witness had never been recorded.

The motion criticized the prosecution for relying on inadmissible material, failing to conduct identification tips, mishandling voice samples and improperly seizing cell phones. It also alleges that the police were reluctant to seek Anmol Bishnoi’s extradition, with the investigating officer reportedly verbally stating that “they are not interested” in his return.

The case is expected to be heard in the High Court next week.