Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday expressed shock over the killing of NCP leader Baba Siddique and said a thorough investigation was underway.

Siddique, a leader in Ajit Pawar’s faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), was shot at near Nirmal Nagar in Bandra Saturday night. He later succumbed to injuries at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai.

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Talking to reporters, Fadnavis, who also is Maharashtra’s home minister, said, “This is a sad and serious incident. I had a close friendship with Baba Siddique. We are all shocked by this kind of incident. Two accused in this case have been arrested. The investigation is going on. The theories that are coming are not official. Some angles are being noticed and an investigation is underway.”

Reacting to NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s blaming of the state’s “collapsed law and order situation” for the murder, the minister said, “I think he (Sharad Pawar) only wants power. Even after such a serious incident, there is a lust for power in his eyes while we are only concerned about Maharashtra. We want to look at Maharashtra, we want to develop Maharashtra. Progress is to be achieved and Maharashtra is to be kept safe. They want to look at the power only and talk.”

The NCP chief had termed the killing of Siddique in Mumbai as “regrettable”.

In a post on X, Pawar said, “The state’s collapsed law and order situation is a cause for concern. The shooting of former state minister Baba Siddique in Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, is regrettable. If the Home Minister and the rulers are going to push the cart of the state so mildly, it can be an alarm bell for the common people.”