A special CBI court in Lucknow convicted seven people on Friday in connection with the 2005 killing of former BSP MLA Raju Pal, an incident in which gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad was also implicated, reports PTI.
Raju Pal, a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, was fatally shot on January 25, 2005, as a result of a political feud with Atiq Ahmad’s brother Ashraf, whom he had defeated in the 2004 bypoll for the Prayagraj West seat.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the investigation into the case in 2016.
The Special Judge CBI, Lucknow, found Ranjeet Pal, Abid, Farhan Ahmad, Israr Ahmad, Javed, Gulhasan, and Abdul Kavi guilty of criminal conspiracy and murder, among other charges.
Raju Pal’s wife, Pooja Pal, expressed satisfaction with the court’s verdict but stated her belief that the accused should have been sentenced to death, emphasizing the gravity of the crime.
Last year on April 15, Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were killed in a highly publicized shooting incident captured on camera near a medical college in Prayagraj while under police custody.