Deputy CM Ajit Pawar visits hospital, meets bereaved family of Baba Siddique

Mumbai, Oct 13, (IANS) Deputy Chief Minister and NCP national president Ajit Pawar visited Cooper Hospital in Mumbai on Sunday to meet the family of party leader Baba Siddique who died due to gunshot injuries on Saturday evening.

Condemning the attack, Ajit Pawar said, “The agencies are investigating the murder, two people have already been detained and police have been sent to five different states.”

Expressing his grief over the passing of Siddique, Ajit Pawar said, “I still can't believe that Baba is no longer with us.” We are with Zeeshan (Baba Siddique's son) and his family in these difficult times, added Pawar.

Ajit Pawar informed that after the post-mortem, the body of Siddique will be taken to his house and will be kept for public viewing.

Taking to microblogging site X, Ajit Pawar said, “The NCP has been devastated by the tragic loss of Shri Baba Siddique, a leader deeply loved by many, and personally, I have lost a dear friend whom I have known for years. We are heartbroken, struggling to grasp the cruelty of this incident. This is not just a political loss -- it’s a deeply personal tragedy that has shaken us all.”

“I strongly urge everyone to resist the temptation to politicise this horrifying event. This is not a time for division or for exploiting the pain of others for political advantage. Right now, our focus must be on ensuring that justice is served. We will not rest until those responsible are brought to account,” he added.

“But in this moment, I ask that we pause, that we honour the immense grief of Baba Siddique’s family, who have suffered the greatest loss. Let us show respect and compassion rather than allowing opportunistic voices to turn this tragedy into a political spectacle,” the NCP leader said.

“This is a time for unity, for mourning, and for remembering a leader who was deeply cherished by so many,” Ajit Pawar stated.

Following his death, the Nationalist Congress Party cancelled all its programmes on Sunday.

In a post on X, the NCP said, "Keeping in view the tragic death of our party colleague Baba Siddique, all party programmes for 13th October, (Sunday) stand cancelled."

Baba Siddique, 66, a prominent Muslim face from the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), was shot dead in Bandra on Saturday night near his son's office.

He was a former three-time MLA from Bandra West and had switched to the NCP from Congress in February.

--IANS

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