The assassination of prominent NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) leader Baba Siddique on Saturday night just outside his son Zeeshan Siddique's office in Mumbai raises a number of questions even though a member of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's group has allegedly taken responsibility for the crime.
Baba Siddique was a close friend of actor Salman Khan, a seasoned politician who was also close to film stars and other celebrities and famed for his Iftar parties.
So Bishnoi's name cropping up in the assassination did not come as a surprise as the gangster, now incarcerated in Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Jail, had in the past issued threats to Khan for his involvement in the shooting of two black bucks in Rajasthan, vowing to avenge the killing as the animal is considered sacred by his community, the Bishnois.
An attempt on Khan's life was also made this year when two men on a motorbike fired multiple rounds outside his apartment in Bandra early in the morning on April 14, a shot hitting his balcony and waking him up.
Two of the alleged gunmen, Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal, were arrested in Gujarat and of the six others arrested for their suspected involvement in the shooting at Khan's apartment.
One of them, identified as Anuj Thapan, reportedly died by suicide in the police lock-up in May.
The narrative of the Bishnoi gang's involvement is being pushed strongly through social media, with an alleged gang member claiming responsibility for Siddique's assassination, and also bringing Khan into the picture.
The gang member's social media post, as reported by the media, read, "Salman Khan, we did not want this war, but you caused our brother's death. We have no enmity with anyone, but whoever helps Salman Khan or the Dawood gang, their accounts will be settled."
Other reports also say that Siddique had been warned about an assassination attempt just 15 days before he was killed and provided with ‘Y’ category security cover.
Till now it has not been revealed whether Siddique had filed an official complaint about the threats to authorities.
What stands out clearly in this smog of confusion over the killing of a prominent, well-guarded politician is Bishnoi's involvement - alleged or otherwise.
A resident of Abohar in Punjab who took to crime as a student of DAV College in Chandigarh while dabbling in student politics, Lawrence Bishnoi moved on to extortion for ransom and murder.
A National Investigation Agency charge sheet submitted in a court also said he was involved in cross-border smuggling of sophisticated weapons and narcotics and in-land smuggling of contraband and illegal liquor smuggling.
Jailed for various offences he has managed to build a network of criminals in Punjab and Haryana and seems to be operating without restrictions from jail, whether it be Bharatpur in Rajasthan, Tihar in Delhi or Sabarmati in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
He gained notoriety and prominence after issuing threats to Salman Khan in the black buck case, and the 2018 arrest of another gangster Sampath Nehra for his involvement in a plot to kill Khan revealed Bishnoi as the mastermind.
Bishnoi's associates, college buddy Goldy Brar, Rohit Godar and his brother Anmol Bishnoi are reportedly running the gang from the United States.
Brar claimed responsibility for Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala's 2022 murder, saying it was carried out in collaboration with Bishnoi.
Right-wing leader Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi's killing in Jaipur too was linked back to Bishnoi as Godara took responsibility for the assassination on social media.
Reports, unverified as of now, say Lawrence Bishnoi has been fasting for the last nine days - a regular practice he has adopted, according to those in the know, before committing a major crime.
If that's true then he has knowledge of the assassination and information related to it has been communicated to him.
What do the jail authorities have to say about this? How does Bishnoi manage 'hits' even while incarcerated? How do his communication channels run?
It has been said he uses voice-over IP calls to coordinate with his associates outside, but how can he manage to do that from prison?
Did pure hate for the killing of an animal drive Bishnoi to eliminate one of Salman Khan's closest friends?
Who will gain from the killing and why was Siddique killed now?
The timing of the assassination is the biggest red flag in the case.
The Election Commission of India is likely to announce the dates for the Maharashtra Assembly elections this week, with polling likely to take place in the second or third week of November.
Siddique, who had been associated with the Congress since his teenage years, resigned this year in February to join the NCP (Pawar) faction.
He had been a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the state of Maharashtra for the Bandra West constituency and had previously served as Minister of State for Food & Civil Supplies (FDA) and Labour between 2004 and 2008 under then Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.
He had also been elected MLA for three consecutive terms in 1999, 2004 and 2009.
His contribution to the current ruling dispensation during the Assembly polls would have been immense.
His death has created mayhem in Mumbai, with various political parties, even the BJP's partner with the Shiv Sena in the Mahayuti alliance, the Pawar group, blaming Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis for not being able to control crime in India's financial capital.
The most strident criticism "on the deteriorating law and order situation in Mumbai" has come from the Congress - a party which Siddique had said while resigning, "treated him like curry leaves," used only to enhance the taste of food.
Even as two persons, one from Haryana and the other from Uttar Pradesh, have been arrested in connection with the assassination, investigations have been launched in the case as police have confirmed Bishnoi's involvement.
The coming days will make the picture clearer - but Siddique's elimination is a well-planned crime with more layers and complications than what is being revealed by the police now.
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