Baba Siddique murder: Accused not minor, bone ossification test reveals
A bone ossification test has established that Dharmaraj Kashyap, one of the accused in the murder of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique, is not a minor as he had claimed. The test was conducted on the orders of a Mumbai court. The court has remanded Kashyap and other suspects to judicial custody till October 21.
Siddique's murder and subsequent arrests
Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister and NCP Ajit Pawar faction leader, was shot dead outside his office in Mumbai on Saturday night. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has claimed responsibility for the murder. The police have confirmed it was a contract killing and are investigating the link. Two shooters, including Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh and Gurmail Baljit Singh from Haryana, were arrested on Sunday.
Age controversy and bone ossification test order
During their court appearance, Kashyap claimed to be 17 years old. The prosecution objected to this, citing an Aadhaar card that showed his birth year as 2003, suggesting he was 21 years old. However, the name on the card was different and Kashyap did not have a birth certificate or school-leaving certificate to verify his age. Consequently, the magistrate court ordered a bone ossification test to estimate Kashyap's age accurately.
Third accused arrested, another on the run
The Mumbai police have also arrested a third suspect, a 28-year-old Pune man who was allegedly involved in the murder conspiracy. According to reports, three other accused have been identified by the police and are absconding. As per initial investigation, the third shooter present with Kashyap and Singh was Shiv Kumar alias Shiva Gautam, 24, who is on the run. The police have also identified another accused, Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, 21, who is allegedly the brain behind the murder.
Prosecution and defense arguments in court
Public prosecutor Gautam Gaikwad challenged Kashyap's claim of being a minor, arguing that he is 19 years old according to documents recovered from him. Advocate Siddharth Agarwal, who appeared for the accused, argued that political rivalry should be considered as a possible motive and sought minimum police custody. The Mumbai Crime Branch revealed they had recovered two Aadhaar cards from Kashyap—one with the name he gave to police and another with a different name.
