In the wake of the shocking murder of senior NCP leader Baba Siddique, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday expressed grave concern over the law and order situation in Mumbai and slammed the state government for failing to protect the NCP leader despite clear warnings.

“We openly said that the law and order situation is not fine there, even though he said that his life was in danger, Police didn’t protect him, this is such a big lapse from administration’s side. Police should always be on alert in a big city like Mumbai…,” Kharge told reporters in Kalaburagi, Karnataka.

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“If the government doesn’t take care of such things that means they are neglecting (such incidents),” he added.

Siddique was shot near Nirmal Nagar in Mumbai’s Bandra. He was rushed to Lilavati Hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

Following the killing, the Mumbai Police arrested two suspects, Gurmail Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the case. The two were reportedly tracking Siddique for nearly two months and were paid in advance.

“They had done a recce of Baba Siddique’s house and office and had been in the city for one and a half to two months, monitoring his movements,” said a senior police officer.

The police have registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Arms Act, and the Maharashtra Police Act.

“The case has been registered at Nirmal Nagar Police Station under Crime Registration No. 589/2024, Sections 103(1), 109, 125, and 3(5) of the BNS, along with Sections 3, 25, 5, and 27 of the Arms Act, and Sections 37 and 137 of the Maharashtra Police Act,” a police official said.

Authorities have also launched a search for a third suspect involved in the murder.

“The search for the third accused is on, and several teams of the Mumbai Crime Branch are investigating this case,” the police said.

Reports suggest that the accused may have ties to the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang, but further interrogation is underway to uncover the full conspiracy.