Ramashankar Patna: A pall of gloom has descended on NCP (Ajit faction) leader Baba Siddique’s native village in Bihar’s Gopalganj district following his murder in Mumbai on Saturday evening. Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister, was born on September 13, 1958, in Sheikh Togi village of Manjhagarh block, Gopalganj, Bihar. He was known as Ziauddin Siddique at his ancestral village before he developed his connections in the corridors of power in Maharashtra and tried his luck in politics. While mourning the murder of Siddique, residents of Sheikhpurdil village raised concerns about the law-and-order situation in Maharashtra and demanded stern action against the accused. Nephew of Baba Siddique, Ahmed said, “I want an unbiased probe into this. Shockingly, he was murdered even though he was part of the ruling party. I demand a probe committee be formed, the culprits must be given the strictest punishment possible.” “If such a big political leader can be shot dead, what will be the condition of common people? I demand punishment for the culprits,” remarked a resident of Siddique’s village. Siddique spent 35 years in Congress before joining NCP eight months ago. Despite living a busy life in Mumbai having strong connections with Bollywood top actors including Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt, he regularly visited Gopalganj and operated 40 institutions under Abdur Rahim Trust, named after his father, Abdul Rahim Siddique. Villagers recalled his commitment to social work and support for the community. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Siddique visited Gopalganj and distributed relief supplies, including sanitisers, masks, and PPE kits among the local residents, recalled his close relative, Mohammad Gurfan. His maternal cousin, Mohammad Jalaluddin’s family, still resides in Sheikhpurdil. He was the son of a watchmaker’s son and his father took him to Mumbai when he was five.
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