The shocking murder of Baba Siddique

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Aakriti Anand & Raghav Bikhchandani

The shocking murder of Baba Siddique

One of Maharashtra’s best-known netas—Baba Siddique—was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan’s office on Saturday night. He belonged to the breakaway faction of the NCP—led by Ajit Pawar—who is currently the Deputy CM.

Who is Baba Siddique? He was a veteran Congressman who jumped to Ajit Pawar’s breakaway NCP party. Siddique was close to A-list Bollywood stars like Salman Khan and SRK. He started his career as a student leader—and protégé of Sunil Dutt. He was well-liked on all sides of the political aisle.

About the killing: The murder appears to be a gangland killing:

[T]he shooters came in a kaali-peeli and fired three to four rounds. Of this, two bullets hit his chest. They tried to flee on foot but were nabbed by the constables on duty. The suspects were handed over to the Mumbai crime branch which has been entrusted with the probe. Their preliminary interrogation has revealed that they had received a few lakhs before the shootout bid and were promised a handsome award post the hit job.

The police have since identified six suspects and arrested three of them.

The Bishnoi connection: Yesterday, his gang claimed credit for killing Siddique. The infamous gangster—currently behind bars in Gujarat—has been named as the possible mastermind. But then, Bishnoi is named in almost every murder case—from Punjab to Ontario—including Sidhu Moosewala. Bishnoi often takes credit for some of these killings—but his claims are not always credible.

The worrying bit: The assassination took place despite Siddique apparently having Y security—which includes at least eight security guards and another two personal security officers (PSOs).

Reminder: Since the 1960s, nearly half a dozen prominent politicians in Mumbai have been killed in gang-related attacks—a number of them in Bandra, much like Siddique.

Reading list: Economic Times has the most on the police’s theory of the case. The Hindu has more on Siddique’s Bollywood connection.

Middle East madness: The latest update

Hezbollah bombs Tel Aviv: A drone attack killed four Israeli soldiers in the capital city—which is shocking given the strength of its air defence systems. The US swung into action—announcing it would send over an advanced anti-missile system asap. Washington is also sending 100 US troops to operate it—which will pose an interesting dilemma for any Iranian or Hezbollah plan to return to Israel’s attack. No, they are not ‘human shields’. Why would you say that?

Meanwhile, in Lebanon, ‘apocalyptic’ airstrikes continue. The latest death toll: 2,255, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Yes, Israel is still bombing refugee camps in Gaza, as well—killing dozens of them. Yes, they took out a school.

Iran bailed on Hamas? According to New York Times, Hamas had been planning the October 7 attacks for at least two years. It also seems to show that Hamas tried to persuade Iran and Hezbollah to participate in the plan—but they refused. If so, this would show that they knew about the attack in advance. The reporting is based on “minutes of Hamas’s secret meetings, seized by the Israeli military.” Wait, terrorists take minutes?

India’s bizarre decision: New Delhi refused to sign a letter from 105 UN members condemning Israel’s ban on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. When questioned, this was the seriously lame response:

“At a media briefing on Oct 4, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “your question regarding UN Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres is the UN Secretary-General. He’s the United Nations Secretary-General for us. What somebody else says about it, what [a] third person says is not our area of outlook or a matter to comment on”.

The Hindu has more on New Delhi’s refusal, while Al Jazeera reports on Israel’s ‘apocalyptic’ airstrikes on southern Lebanon.

The tragic loss of GN Saibaba

The context: Over past decades, the government has arrested a number of writers, academics, and activists—for allegedly providing support to Maoist terrorists. They have been held without bail under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Of these, Father Stan Swamy most infamously died in jail—without bail or a trial.

What happened with GN Saibaba: He was a widely-respected Delhi University professor—who was arrested in 2014 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017. Saibaba was then acquitted by the Bombay High Court in 2022—but the Supreme Court hurriedly overturned the ruling. In March, this year, the Bombay High Court acquitted Saibaba again—because authorities did not follow due process.

What happened next: In the days following his release, Saibaba gave detailed descriptions of torture and inhumane conditions he faced in jail:

I was in the same cell for eight and a half years without a wheelchair. It was a daily struggle to use the toilet, take a bath, or even fetch myself a glass of water. The prison doesn’t have a single ramp for people like me…When I was arrested in 2014, the policemen dragged me by my left hand as a result of which my left arm remains swollen to date. After several delays when I was taken to the hospital, the doctors told me that it was almost impossible to revive the muscular and nervous system.

What happened now: Just seven months since his acquittal, Saibaba passed away aged 58 of a cardiac arrest on Saturday—due to complications following a gall bladder surgery. As experts say of our anti-terror laws, the process is the punishment. Btw, Saibaba was arrested by a Congress-NCP government.

For more: The Week has more on the torture allegations. See our Big Story coverage of activists being framed and the death of Stan Swamy.

Elon Musk’s Hollywood tamasha

The Tesla founder rolled out three big reveals—a robotaxi, a robovan, and a personal robot. All were received with a giant thud.

Hello, Robotaxi: This offspring of the ugly Cybertruck is a self-driving vehicle, designed as “a low-slung, two-seater, sporty coupe”, without a steering wheel, or pedals. If you’re wondering how a two-door car can serve as a taxi—or what Musk calls “individualised mass transit”:

The CEO has previously laid out his vision for a robotaxi network as a “combination of Airbnb and Uber” with owners able to opt their cars into the service at their choosing and make money while sleeping. On Thursday, he seemed to encourage people — especially current drivers for Uber and who often aren’t very wealthy — to buy multiple Cybercabs. “If they can actually sort of manage a fleet of 10, 20, cars, and just take care of them like a shepherd tends their flock,” Musk said. “I think that would be pretty cool. It’s gonna be a glorious future.”

These two-seater cabs will go into production in 2026 and cost less than $30,000 per vehicle. You can see what it looks like below:

Also, a Robovan? In the same vein, Musk also unveiled a 20-seater van—again, without a steering wheel. Wall Street Journal calls it “an art deco-inspired vehicle that resembled a giant toaster with an interior meant to feel like a spaceship”. You can see why in the video below. FYI: There’s no clear launch date for this one, either, though Musk claims production could start in 2026.

Hello, Optimus: The humanoid robots supposedly can “do anything” from bartending to watering house plants. But they don’t seem to be very good at it:

There was a table of drinks — but the Optimus bot was not seen doing more than holding a cup of ice. However, one bot could hand over small gift bags at another table and play rock, paper, scissors with guests. And there was an enclosed gazebo with a bunch of dancing robots inside.

What’s even worse: Rumours say the robots were remote-controlled from a nearby room.

Wall Street says… Meh. Tesla’s stock tanked by 7%. Probably because the company is rumoured to have canned future electric cars to focus on the robotaxi. However: “Despite Friday morning's selloff, Tesla's stock is still up over 30% from when Musk teased the reveal in April.” The Verge has more on the Optimus bots. Wall Street Journal (paywall) and Axios have an overview of the event. VentureBeat has more on the criticism. Quartz explains why Tesla is often the victim of its own hype.

Coming soon: A ‘made in India’ Ozempic

Biocon is getting to roll out a generic version of Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drug Saxenda—a predecessor to Ozempic and Wegovy. It will go on sale next month in the UK and by 2025 in the US. It is the first step toward a price war over more powerful and popular meds like Wegovy and Ozempic. Novo Nordisk’s patent for semaglutide expires in India in 2026—when Indian pharma companies will start manufacturing a ‘made in India’ version. With the government planning to subsidise the manufacturing, the drugs could become 20-30% cheaper. Financial Times (splainer gift link) has the scoop.

More drama at KJo’s Dharma

The context: Karan Johar’s film studio Dharma Productions is in a precarious financial position and is desperately looking for investors. A string of recent Dharma-produced films—‘Kill’, ‘Bad Newz’, ‘Yodha’, and ‘Mr. and Mrs. Mahi’—underperformed at the box office, which meant a lot was riding on the studio’s new Alia Bhatt starrer, ‘Jigra’, this past weekend.

What happened now: Dharma decided not to hold advance screenings of the film for the media. Instead, press screenings took place in the first half of the release day. It may be the beginning of a new normal in Bollywood. Dharma sources claim reviews—good or bad—are paid for or planted by rivals:

It is a subtle statement to end corruption in a section of film critics, because when there are press shows, then monetary conversations happen for rigging the reviews. This way, review management might stop because Bollywood right now is in a severe credibility crisis.

A filmmaker also showed Indian Express a rate card for influencers—ranging from Rs 15,000 to Rs 60,000 for tweets. So it’s all about putting an end to this “extortion” racket.

But, but, but: Journalists aren’t buying it:

Journalist Shilajit Mitra… said Dharma’s move is “disappointing” and “reeks of double standards.” Mitra said it’s strange to expect film critics to write “fair, meaningful, and, in industry parlance, balanced” film reviews and then rob them of the time and convenience to do so. The move will hit genuine film critics and not the ‘paid’ influencers who can still get away with their reactionary takes.

As for ‘Jigra’: The movie received mixed reviews and a lukewarm response at the box office, collecting just Rs 16.75 crore—the lowest opening weekend of Alia Bhatt’s career. Rival producers claim that the movie is running to near-empty theatres. In any case, KJo’s woes are not going to end anytime soon. (Indian Express)

what caught our eye

business & tech

Unilever will resume ads on X again… after the Elon Musk-owned social media platform dropped its lawsuit against the company.
When it rains, it pours for Boeing—the much maligned aviation firm has cut 17,000 jobs and delayed the first deliveries of its 777X jet by a year, amid widespread workers’ strikes.
ArsTechnica looks at a bizarre feature of Apple’s upcoming AI text message feature—it can summarise a series of breakup texts.

sports & entertainment

From Nazi to alleged sexual predator—Kanye West has been accused by his former assistant, Lauren Pisciotta, of drugging and sexually assaulting her at an event hosted by… Diddy.
The Women’s T20 World Cup dream hangs in the balance for India after a 9-run defeat to title holders Australia. Tonight’s match between New Zealand and Pakistan will determine if we can still sneak into the semifinals.
Balle balle! India has clinched three medals at the Asian Table Tennis Championships, including a first-ever bronze in women’s doubles.
New Lines Magazine has a must-read on the exploitation of thousands of aspiring African footballers—who are promised dream moves to European clubs, only to end up as victims of human trafficking.

as for the rest

The winner of this year’s PEN Pinter Prize is…hamaari Arundhati Roy, whose acceptance speech focused on the plight of Palestinians under Israeli occupation.
The 2024 Global Hunger Index is out and it’s not looking great for India—we’re ranked 105th out of 127, which is of “serious” concern.
Sticking with nourishment, Goa has junked its plan to include eggs in midday meals, despite receiving approval from the central government. The reason: objections from “strictly veg” parents and students. Go figure.
A World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report has found that the global wildlife population has dropped 73% in just 50 years.
Another farmers’ protest loading? The apparently tardy procurement of paddy by has sparked new blocking of roads and railway tracks across Punjab.
The Supreme Court recently helped Dalit student Atul Kumar live his IIT dreams after he couldn’t afford the “seat allocation fee”, but the issue wouldn’t have arisen had IITs implemented a 2016 government order mandating fee waivers for SC and ST students.
An Iranian court has massively reduced the sentences of two journalists, who had been jailed for their coverage of Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody in 2022—which sparked protests across Iran. See our Big Story for more.
According to a new study, you can tell which side of their trunk elephants prefer—their version of right-handed vs. left-handed—by looking at wrinkles!
Your showerhead and toothbrush are teeming with viruses. But, but, but: there’s no need to panic—a new study shows these could be the life-saving kind.

Four things to see

One: Say hello to Diwali Barbie—designed by Anita Dogre. The slightly darker skinned doll—jhumkas and a designer lehenga—is a huge step up from the first Indian Barbie launched in 1996 and the awful 2012 repackaged version with her own “playful monkey friend.” The $40 doll was sold out on Mattel’s website in 24 hours when it hit the market last week. Indians seem far less impressed. (NPR)

Two: Two people accused of murdering Gauri Lankesh in 2017 were released on bail on October 10. They were immediately honoured by Hindutva groups like Sri Rama Sene, as you can see below. Indian Express has more on this spectacle. Our two-part Big Story has details of the case, and the trial.

Three: Last Thursday, many parts of the US and UK could see auroras. Meta thought it would be fun to promote its AI—by sharing machine-generated pics of the northern lights over the Golden Gate bridge. It was not well-received. Below is Meta’s AI image:

And here’s photographer Kris Warner’s capture—who shared his photos to prove AI could never match the deal real: (The Verge)

Four: A staff member at a Dutch museum threw these cans—thinking (most reasonably) they were trash. Nope, they are part of an exhibit called ‘All The Good Times We Spent Together’ by French artist Alexandre Lavet—which is a commentary on food and consumption. Happily, it has since been rescued from the bin bag. (BBC News)