Jailed former MP Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad Ahmed was killed in an encounter by Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday in Jhansi. Police said that Asad, along with Ghulam, who was wanted in the 2005 Umesh Pal murder case, carried a bounty of Rs five lakh on their heads.
Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force said that the duo was absconding since the murder of Pal on February 24, and several STF teams were pressed to track them down. On Thursday, they were trying to flee on a motorcycle when they were intercepted by an STF team in Jhansi. They had allegedly opened fire on the police personnel, following which they were killed in retaliatory firing, reported PTI.
The Umesh Pal case
The case involves the alleged kidnapping of Umesh Pal, who along with his two police security guards, was shot dead outside his home in Prayagraj’s Dhoomanganj area on February 24 this year.
The daylight killing on a busy street raised questions over the law and order situation and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath vowed to “destroy mafias and criminals such as Ahmed”. The incident also triggered a furore in the Assembly after the CM accused the Samajwadi Party of promoting criminals during its rule.
Umesh Pal was an eyewitness in the 2005 Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal murder case, in which Atiq Ahmed is a prime accused. Umesh’s wife Jaya said that in 2006, Atiq Ahmed and his associates had kidnapped Umesh Pal and forced him to give statement in their favour.
Who is Atiq Ahmed?
A former MP and five-time MLA, Atiq Ahmed is currently lodged in Naini Central Jail in Prayagraj till April 26 after a Prayagraj court sent him and his brother Ashraf to 14-day judicial custody on Thursday.
The 60-year-old former SP legislator began his political journey in 1989 when he won the Allahabad West seat as an Independent candidate. Retaining the seat for two consecutive terms, Ahmed joined the SP and won for the fourth time in 1996.
Later, he became a part of Apna Dal and won the seat again in 2002. A year later, he rejoined the SP and became MP in 2004 from the Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency, a seat once held by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
What happened in 2005?
The biggest obstacle for the politician came with the murder of Raju Pal. In an Assembly by-poll for the Allahabad West seat in 2005, Raju defeated Ahmed’s brother Ashraf.
On January 25, 2005, Raju was shot dead near his house while he was returning from a hospital along with his associates Sandeep Yadav and Devi Lal. Later, Raju’s wife filed an FIR against Atiq, Ashraf, and seven unidentified men.
They were charged under rioting, attempt to murder, murder and criminal conspiracy.
In 2008, Atiq had to surrender reportedly due to political and police pressure, and was released in 2012. He contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on an SP ticket. He lost. Akhilesh Yadav also distanced himself from him due to his criminal antecedents.
Atiq was arrested again in February 2017 for allegedly assaulting staff members of the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences in Prayagraj.
Interestingly, despite being in prison, he contested from the Varanasi seat, which is also the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he fought the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and had secured over 800 votes.
On Thursday, when Atiq was brought to Prayagraj, he told media that he has been “reduced to dust” and pleaded with the government to leave his wife and children alone.
Personal life of Atiq Ahmed
Atiq Ahmed is married to Shaista Parveen and the couple has five sons. Asad, 19, who was killed today, was their third child and was a first-year student at a law college.
The other two elder children are in jail in other cases, while the minor ones are reportedly in a shelter home.
Atiq’s eldest son Mohammad Umar, currently in Lucknow district jail, is a co-accused in a businessman murder case, in which Atiq is also an accused.
Atiq was booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a 2018 incident involving the alleged kidnapping of Lucknow-based businessman Mohit Jaiswal, who was taken to Deoria district jail. Jaiswal had claimed that he was forced to sign property documents worth Rs 48 crore in favour of his associates.
Atiq’s second son Mohammad Ali Ahmed, is currently in Naini jail for an alleged property case.
Atiq’s wife Shaista Parveen has at least three other cases registered against her since 2019. The police said that the cases are still pending.
Shaista joined the BSP in January this year, but after she was named as an accused in the Umesh Pal case, the party also distanced from her.
While still on the run, Shaista had moved a local court alleging that her minor sons were “illegally taken away” on February 24 and alleged that she had no information about them.
Police later told the court that the boys were found in Prayagraj, and were admitted to a child protection home.