Baba Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister and member of the NCP’s Ajit Pawar faction, has died after being shot at in Mumbai’s Bandra.

Sources said three bullets were fired at Mr Siddique at the office of his son Zeeshan, the MLA from Bandra East, around 9.30 pm on Saturday. Two people have been taken into custody.

Mr Siddique was rushed to Lilavati Hospital and sources said at least one of the bullets hit him in the chest. News agency ANI quoted hospital authorities as saying he had died.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said he had spoken to police and people at the hospital. “The incident is extremely unfortunate. Two people have been arrested, one from Uttar Pradesh and one from Haryana, while another is on the run. I have asked the police to take strict action and ensure that no one takes the law and order into their hands. A gang war-like situation should not resurface in Mumbai,” he said in Marathi.

Mr Siddique, who was a three-time MLA from Bandra West, was associated with the Congress for 48 years and had quit the party in February and joined Ajit Pawar’s NCP. Zeeshan Siddique was expelled from the Congress in August.

The gunfight took place on Dussehra and came months ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, expected to take place later this year.

NCP spokesperson Brijmohan Shrivastav expressed shock and told NDTV that Mr Siddique had not spoken about any threats from anyone.

Mr Siddique was elected MLA from Bandra West constituency in 1999, 2004 and 2009 and served as Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies, Labor and FDA between 2004 and 2008.

The former MLA was not only known for his political acumen but also for hosting lavish parties. A cold war between superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan was resolved in 2013 during an iftaar party hosted by Mr Siddique.

Salman Khan and actor Sanjay Dutt have reached the hospital.

Questions about law and order

Opposition party leaders expressed grief over Siddique’s death and also raised questions about law and order in Mumbai, wondering how a politician with Y-level security could be killed in public in an upmarket area like Bandra.

Anil Deshmukh, former Maharashtra Home Minister and leader of the NCP’s Sharad Pawar faction, wondered how will the common people feel a sense of security if leaders of the ruling parties are not safe in the state?

“The death of Baba Siddiqui today is very shocking and raises serious questions about law and order in the state. If the ruling leaders are not safe in Maharashtra, consider the plight of the common people. Will Maharashtra really become Uttar Pradesh or Bihar? This question has arisen on this occasion. Baba Siddiqui’s untimely death has brought grief to his family and may God grant them the strength to bear it,” he wrote in Marathi on X.