1 person set off crackers, then two men shot at ex-min: Cop

Mumbai: Former minister Baba Siddique was shot dead by two assailants on Saturday evening just 150 metres away from his son MLA Zeeshan's office, constable Shyam Sonawane, who was on security duty, told investigators. Siddique walked ahead of his parked car when an unknown person set off firecrackers before two others fired six rounds at him. Sonawane said he witnessed the attackers shooting and fleeing the scene after his vision, temporarily impaired by the smoke from the firecrackers, cleared.Sonawane also said in the incident a bystander, tailor Raj Kanojiya (22) was injured as well and underwent surgery at Bhabha Hospital on Sunday.
The fatal shooting took place 40 minutes after constable Chandrakant Magade, Siddique's second guard, had signed off duty at 8.30pm. In his FIR, Sonawane described the sequence of events leading to Siddique's death at 9:30pm. "I witnessed a man setting off firecrackers shortly after Siddique had walked a short distance ahead from his vehicle that was parked 150 metres away from his son's office. In the next instant, I saw two men randomly shooting and then fleeing the scene," he said.
Sonawane said the incident took place in a matter of seconds, and his vision was briefly obscured by the smoke from the firecrackers. "As soon as the smoke cleared, I saw the two men firing their weapons before making their escape," he said in the FIR.
Sonawane and party workers at the scene rushed Siddique to Lilavati Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Meanwhile, Sonawane informed the Nirmal Nagar police about the shooting. Fifteen police officers from the police station, who were on bandobast duty for the Durga Pooja procession, swiftly responded and chased the two suspects, initially mistaking them for mobile thieves. — V Narayan