Mumbai: Late NCP leader Baba Siddique’s wife Shehzeen has approached the special MCOCA court, pleading that she be allowed to join the prosecution to conduct the case of her husband’s murder, as her family is the ultimate victim of the act of the accused.

As the court is yet to begin the trial, Baba’s wife Shehzeen has, on Friday, submitted an application through her advocate Trivankumar Karnani, seeking permission to allow her to join the prosecution to conduct the trial in the case. She pleaded that the accused have committed a cold-blooded, gruesome murder in a pre-planned and premeditated manner of the deceased.

“She has suffered an irreparable loss, and that it is of utmost importance for the intervenor to put on record the true and correct facts to assist this Court to come to a free and fair conclusion in the matter at hand,” Shehzeen said in her application, adding that there are several important aspects which require due and proper weightage.

The application emphasis on the right of the victim to be heard as held by Supreme court in numerous pleas. “It has been held that the victim is the defacto sufferer of a crime. The ethos of criminal justice dispensation to prevent and punish crime should not surreptitiously turn its back on the victim. The jurisprudence with respect to the rights of victims to be heard and to participate in criminal proceedings began to positively evolve,” reads the plea.

Siddique, 66, was killed on October 12, 2014, near his son Zeeshan Siddique’s office in Bandra. Three assailants allegedly part of Bishnoi’s gang had opened fire at the car where Baba sat to leave from the office. As soon as he got into the car, the accused opened fire at him, giving no room for his guards to react. The assailants however were caught by police while they tried to escape.

Shehzeen further pleaded that, “This audacious attack, executed in one of the city’s most affluent and bustling neighborhoods, saw the assailants shoot Siddique at point blank range, before fleeing the scene, leaving behind a trail of grief and outrage for the family of the deceased,’ reads the plea.

So far, police have arrested 26 suspects in connection with the murder. The Mumbai police had, in December, submitted a chargesheet against 26 accused involved in the murder of NCP leader. The police claimed that the murder was ordered by Bishnoi, who is heading the gang.

In its chargesheet, the police claimed that the investigation revealed that the members of the gang had hatred against the Bollywood actor Salman Khan. Besides, Siddique was very close to the actor, and further, the gang wanted to establish terror and supremacy. These were the key motives behind conspiring to kill Siddique.

Mumbai: In a welcome change from the summer heat, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted light drizzles and thundershowers for Mumbai and surrounding areas next week. While no alerts are currently in place for Mumbai, a yellow alert has been issued for Thane and Raigad from March 31 to April 1.

The Santacruz observatory recorded 33.6 degrees Celsius, while Colaba noted 31 degrees. Predictions suggest rising temperatures may exceed 36 degrees over the weekend, but this could be tempered by expected rain and thunderstorms starting Monday, with heavier rainfall anticipated in Thane and Raigad.

Post-precipitation, maximum temperatures in Mumbai are expected to fall to around 33 degrees Celsius after April 2. While pre-monsoon showers in summer are unusual, Mumbai has previously experienced such weather, with March 2023 marking a record of about 17 mm of rainfall—its wettest March. Comparatively, the Santacruz observatory recorded 10 mm in 2016 and 13 mm in 2015.

In preparation for the upcoming monsoon, Bhushan Gagrani, chief of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), convened a high-level meeting emphasizing proactive measures, including a joint survey of areas prone to waterlogging across the city.

According to report by Mid-day, During a pre-monsoon meeting at the civic headquarters on Friday, Bhushan Gagrani, chair of the district disaster management authority, instructed BMC ward officials to clear debris and barricades after work completion to prepare for the forthcoming Mumbai monsoon. He underscored the necessity of a joint survey of waterlogging-prone areas for formulating preventive measures and called for effective coordination among agencies to ensure uninterrupted suburban railway services. Gagrani urged Assistant Commissioners to work closely with relevant parties for debris clearance.

The meeting involved all additional Commissioners of the BMC, officials, and representatives from various government agencies. Gagrani highlighted the importance of operational public announcement systems at railway stations and mandated tree trimming on railway premises to be finished by the end of May. To mitigate risks from heavy rains, it was announced that 482 dewatering pumps will be deployed in low-lying city areas. He suggested using geo-tagging technology to monitor pump operations, emphasizing accountability for delays in addressing malfunctions.

Gagrani also raised concerns regarding certain locations in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs at risk of landslides, instructing the district administration to implement precautionary measures, including relocating residents from high-risk zones and providing disaster preparedness training.

Additionally, officials from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) confirmed their readiness for emergency rescue operations during the monsoon, while the Indian Navy was directed to keep its teams and divers prepared for deployment as necessary. These collective actions reflect a proactive stance toward disaster management, focusing on hazard mitigation, operational readiness, and enhancing community safety amidst the impending monsoon.

Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) closure report in the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, 34, vindicates that the Bandra Police’s investigation was headed in the right direction at the time. Five years after the actor’s death, the CBI recently submitted closure reports in two related cases at the Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Bandra, including the one concerning his death in June 2020.

Agency officials confirmed that their investigation found no foul play in his demise, calling it “a simple case of suicide.” This report supports the Bandra Police’s initial investigation and affirms that their inquiry was on the right track before the case was transferred to the CBI.

On June 14, 2020, Sushant Singh Rajput’s body was found at his rented apartment in Bandra West. At that time, the Bandra Police registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR).

However, several politicians, a few celebrities, a few media personalities, and a section of society questioned the Mumbai Police’s investigation, alleging that the actor had been murdered or driven to suicide. Eventually, after conducting its investigation, the CBI found no evidence of foul play and closed the case.

The CBI’s closure report has reinforced that the Bandra Police’s initial investigation was thorough and correctly directed. The Bandra Police had registered the ADR and investigated the matter for 46 days before the case was handed over to the CBI.

During those 46 days, some politicians, celebrities, and sections of the media cast doubts on the credibility of the Mumbai Police, attempting to tarnish its image. However, in the end, it has been proven that their investigation was thorough and impartial.

One of the prime investigating officers (Bandra police) of the case, who was among the first to arrive at the scene after the actor’s death, spoke after the closure report was filed, “I was 100% confident in the findings mentioned in the CBI’s report, and my seniors trusted my investigation. I thank the CBI, but I wish the results had come earlier—it has now been almost five years. I investigated only the ADR, not the other related cases. Officers who handle an investigation from the beginning always know everything. My inquiry was based on the post-mortem report. At that time, many different angles emerged, and we examined all of them thoroughly.”

He further added, “The CBI is also part of the police force, and they conducted a good investigation. When the case was transferred to the CBI, I had no issue because they, too, are part of the same law enforcement system. Whether we work under the central or state government, we belong to the same fraternity. I had a good experience working with the CBI. The Mumbai Police never faced political pressure. However, various illogical theories surfaced in the media and on social media, and the COVID-19 pandemic was also ongoing at the time. Despite all this, nothing impacted our investigation.”

Bhushan Belnekar was the investigating officer in the actor’s ADR case. Along with him, Padmakar Devre, Senior Police Inspector Nikhil Kapse, PSI Ekta Pawar, and Sub-Inspector Vaibhav Jagtap were part of the investigative team. Belnekar, Devre, and Kapse have since retired.

Another police officer from the Bandra Police investigation team stated, “This report proves that our investigation was on the right track. No political agenda influenced us. During our inquiry, we considered all the angles raised by the media and social media. We did not overlook a single possibility and examined every aspect thoroughly. From the beginning, the circumstances, medical reports, and forensic analysis indicated that it was a case of suicide.”

He further mentioned, “The pandemic posed an additional challenge for us. We conducted our investigation based on the available inputs. Many theories emerged, but we found no evidence to support the murder theory or abetment of suicide or murder. All case records have been maintained. At that time, his relatives immediately did not file any complaints.”

When asked whether the Mumbai Police’s morale was affected after the case was transferred to the CBI, he responded, “Our morale was not affected. In fact, we believed that the CBI would conduct a thorough investigation, and now their findings have validated our work.”

The actor used to stay in his sixth-floor duplex flat at Mont Blanc Apartments near Joggers’ Park in Bandra West, where his body was found on June 14, 2020.