Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Maharashtra MLA Baba Siddique was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan Siddique's office in Bandra, Mumbai, on October 12. His murder has sent shockwaves across the city and the film fraternity as the politician had close ties with some Bollywood celebrities.
Baba Siddique was a close friend of actors Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Dutt and others. While Salman, Sanjay, Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra, Pooja Bhatt, Zaher Iqbal and Maniesh Paul, among others, arrived to pay their last respects to Baba Siddique at his residence, Shah Rukh skipped his funeral.
According to a report in Times Now, Shah Rukh wants to stay away from politics as well as Baba Siddique's murder case.
A source close to the actor told the news portal, "Shah Rukh Khan doesn’t want to get associated in the politician’s murder case. The case is also related to Salman Khan and King Khan, for that matter, wishes to stay away from this! Knowing how Lawrence Bishnoi’s circuit works, Shah Rukh Khan doesn’t want any harm on him anymore. Hence, he has chosen 'disappearance' in the entire matter by skipping Baba Siddique’s funeral who was a close friend to him."
When Baba Siddique reunited SRK and Salman
Things turned sour between the superstars in 2008 after they attended Katrina Kaif's birthday party in Mumbai. It is said that Shah Rukh and Salman had a heated argument and, apparently, Katrina and Shah Rukh's wife, Gauri Khan, had to intervene for the actors to not get physical. It is not known what led to their argument and post that incident, they avoided seeing each other face to face.
Their cold war ended in 2013 at Baba Siddique's famous annual Iftaar party. There, Shah Rukh and Salman greeted and hugged each other. Within no time, photos and videos of the actors' reunion went viral, making their fans emotional.
Baba Siddique's death
The last rites of Baba Siddique were performed with full state honours at Bada Qabrastan on October 13. The politician was murdered on October 12 by three bike-borne assailants in Bandra. He was immediately rushed to Lilavati Hospital, however, the doctors couldn't save him.
The murder of Siddique remains clouded in mystery, with the motive still unclear. While multiple theories are circulating, police officials are investigating all possible angles.
On Sunday, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the killing in a Facebook post made by a gang member. The post mentioned that Siddique was killed due to his alleged links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. It also warned those associated with Bollywood actor Salman Khan, stating they would face consequences.
