'Nowadays even when an ant gets a threat, Lawrence's name...': Gangster Bishnoi's lawyer on Baba Siddique murder case

Lawrence Bishnoi's lawyer on Monday said that there is no proof of the gangster's involvement in the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique and that the claims are merely accusations made on social media. In an interview with India Today, Rajni Khatri, Bishnoi's lawyer, also denied any connections between Bishnoi and terrorists, asserting that there is no evidence to support such claims.

"Lawrence Bishnoi's name has come up in the (Baba Siddique) murder case, but it is just an allegation. It should be investigated who put out the claim on social media," Khatri said.

Baba Siddique, a three-time MLA and former Maharashtra minister was shot dead by three men outside his son Zeeshan Siddiqui's office in Mumbai's Bandra last week. Shubham Lonkar, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, took responsibility for the murder in a social media post.

The post stated that Siddique was targeted because of his alleged connections to terrorist Dawood Ibrahim and the death of Anuj Thapan, a suspect in the shooting outside Salman Khan's house. Thapan died in police custody on May 1, with authorities claiming it was a suicide. However, Thapan's family alleged that he was tortured.

"I want to ask the Chief Minister. A fast track court will investigate the murder of Baba Siddique, but Anuj Thapan's report has not come till date," Bishnoi's lawyer said.

In response to reports about Bishnoi managing his network from prison, Khatri stated, "Only audio has gone viral; no phone has been found so far."

Bishnoi has been in jail since 2014 and is currently held at Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad. Despite being incarcerated, his name has emerged in several high-profile cases, including the 2022 murder of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. He is also linked to the recent murder of a gym owner who was shot dead in Greater Kailash, South Delhi, last month.

"Nowadays, even when an ant gets a threat, Lawrence's name comes up. An investigation is being done, and the whole truth will come out," Khatri said.

Denying Bishnoi's links to terrorists, the lawyer said, "Lots of people randomly throw around the name Lawrence when talking about their friends... There are many FIRs, nothing has been proved."