Baba Siddique's death shows poor law and order situation in Maharashtra: Mallikarjun Kharge

NT Correspondent Kalaburagi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said the assassination of Nationalist Congress Party leader Baba Siddique shows the poor law and order situation prevailing in Maharashtra. The people will teach a lesson to the ruling coalition government in the state in the upcoming election, he said. NCP leader and former Maharashtra Minister Baba Siddique was shot by three men in Mumbai on Saturday, following which two of the assailants were arrested.

"It is quite visible that there is a complete failure of law and order in Maharashtra because in the broad daylight it happened," Kharge told reporters in his hometown of Kalaburagi. The district in North Karnataka shares a border with Maharashtra. According to Kharge, a fortnight ago Siddiqui had shared information with the government that there was a possibility of attack on him. He even informed the police commissioner expressing his apprehension about whether he would survive or not, the Congress chief claimed. "Why no protection was given to him? Why the situation reached this stage and why the culprits could not be caught? It means law and order has collapsed there," he said. Kharge alleged that the government is in such a situation where three parties are taking decision and the bureaucrats are puzzled about whom to listen to and whom not to. "Law and order problem has worsened there. People will teach them a lesson in the upcoming election," he said. Siddique was shot dead by three men in Mumbai's Bandra area on Saturday, and two of the assailants have since been arrested, officials said.

The shocking incident prompted the Opposition to question the law and order situation in the state where Assembly elections are expected to be held next month. Siddique (66), a former Congressman, was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital but succumbed to injuries. He was attacked outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddiqui's office near Colgate ground in Nirmal Nagar, Bandra East, police said. Siddique had represented Bandra (West) seat three times in the Assembly. A prominent Muslim leader from Mumbai, Siddique was also known to be close to several Bollywood stars.