Meet two Baba Siddique attackers from Uttar Pradesh: If they are guilty, treat them like criminals, say families

Of the four gunmen who allegedly shot Baba Siddique, 66, a former three-time MLA from Bandra West and a member of the Ajit Pawar faction of the National Congress Party (NCP) in Bandra East on Saturday, two were – Dharamraj Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam – come from Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh.

The family members of the duo from Bahraich’s Kaiserganj Gandara village said they had “no idea about their children but if they are guilty, treat them like criminals”.

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In the attack, which was carried out near his son Zeeshan’s office during Dussehra celebrations, six bullets were fired at Siddique, four of which fatally hit him. The third shooter was identified as Gurmail Baljeet Singh (23) from Haryana and the fourth as Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar. While Siddique had ‘Y’ security, police suspect that the murder was a contract killer. The arrested gunmen claimed to have links to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, although investigations are still ongoing.

Sunday morning was different for residents of Gandara, located 92 km from UP capital Lucknow and 1,441 km from Bandra East in Mumbai, where Siddique was shot dead. Despite the distance, riots occurred frequently in both places. In Gandara, people woke up to the sound of police sirens, the massive deployment of emergency services and a search operation targeting the homes of the duo, their neighbors and long-time friends.

“At first we thought something might have happened to them. They were good friends and had traveled to Pune about three months ago,” said Radheyshyam Kashyap, father of 18-year-old Dharamraj, who was arrested in connection with Siddique’s murder in Mumbai.

WHO IS DHARAMRAJ KASHYAP?

Dharamraj Kashyap is the youngest of five siblings. His father, Radheyshyam Kashyap, a fish seller, told News18 that Dharamraj had always been close to Shivkumar and both had dreams of a better and wealthier life. “Even though we faced financial difficulties and I could not provide my children with a good education, I always wanted them to work hard and earn an honest living, just like I did to support the family,” Kashyap said.

Initially, Radheyshyam said that Dharamraj helped him sell fish, but he was determined to leave the hardships and village life behind and move to bigger cities to work. “He always talked about going to big cities, making a lot of money and living a big life,” Kashyap said. Some locals from the village said that this was the only thing that connected Dharamraj with Shivkumar, who shared similar ambitions and had been working in Pune for six years.

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Dharamraj’s mother, Sushma Devi, said, “Around three months ago, Dharamraj insisted on going to Pune to find a suitable job. Shivkumar was already working in Pune.”

Initially, Dharamraj stayed in touch with his family, but after a short while, he stopped responding to their calls. “I don’t know why he stopped contacting us. I tried calling him several times but he never responded,” said Sushma Devi.

However, she said that if proven guilty, he should be treated like a criminal. “I have no soft spot for a criminal,” Sushma added heartbroken.

Dharamraj was arrested.

WHO IS SHIVKUMAR GAUTAM?

Shivkumar Gautam, 23, another suspected gunman involved in Siddique’s murder, hails from Gandara village in Bahraich, UP. He was involved in the scrap metal trade and reportedly earned well.

His family described a gradual distancing over the years. “At first he used to talk to me on the phone, but then he stopped. “He never sent us any money,” his mother recalls of the strained relationship between them. It was only when his sister fell seriously ill a few months ago that Shivkumar, with great insistence, sent them 3,000 rupees. “When I asked him why he never speaks to us, he told me to stop calling him and that he would call whenever he felt like it,” his mother added.

Shivkumar’s father, Balkrishna Kumar, believes his son was misled. “My son cannot commit murder. However, if he is proven guilty, he should be treated as a murderer,” he said.

Shivkumar is still at large.

UP POLICE CONFIRMS DUO’S INVOLVEMENT

As the news spread, disbelief gripped the local community. “It was shocking. I never thought the duo could commit such a crime,” said Mohammed Husnain, a resident of Gandara.

The Uttar Pradesh police have confirmed the alleged involvement of Dharamraj and Shivkumar. Vrinda Shukla, Superintendent of Police (SP), Bahraich, said, “One of the accused is Dharamraj Kashyap, the other is Shivkumar Gautam alias Shiva.” Shiva is absconding while Dharmaraj was arrested by Mumbai police. Both are residents of Gandara village and live next to each other.”

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SP Shukla further said that both the suspects, aged around 18 to 19 years, worked as scrap dealers in Pune. “No criminal record was found for either of them. They come from simple families and had contact with their relatives,” she added.

Police have contacted their families to gather further information about the incident and possible connections.