Baba Siddiqui murder: Why is Lawrence Bishnoi still in Sabarmati Central Jail?
Updated: Oct 18th, 2024
It’s been over a week since the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the murder of Baba Siddiqui, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader who was shot dead in Mumbai on October 12.
Yet, the Mumbai police have not sought custody of Bishnoi, raising questions about his continued incarceration in the Sabarmati Central Jail.
Bishnoi’s gang has been implicated in several major crimes, including murders and drug-related offences. Reports suggest that Bishnoi has been running his criminal empire from behind bars. If true, they expose glaring holes in prison security and raise doubts about potential collusion at higher levels.
The 31-year-old lawyer-turned-gangster is accused of at least 20 major crimes across several states, including Rajasthan, Punjab, and Maharashtra. He was arrested in August 2023 in connection with a drug case in Kutch. Thereafter, the Gujarat government applied Section 268 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which restricts his transfer from Sabarmati jail.
Given that he faces more cases outside Gujarat, the decision to keep Bishnoi in Gujarat is baffling at best and suspicious at worst. The government’s use of CrPC 268 to prevent his transfer — now extended until August 2025 — reeks of a calculated move.
Some argue it’s for Bishnoi’s protection, to prevent him falling victim to an extrajudicial killing or “encounter.”
The case has also gained international attention. The Canadian government has accused the Indian government of using the Bishnoi group to target the South Asian community in Canada – a claim that India has dismissed as “absurd”.
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