Amid Atiq Ahmed’s fears of his staged killing, his son shot dead in encounter
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Prayagraj: In an encounter on Thursday, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force killed Asad, the son of the former gangster and now politician Atiq Ahmed, along with his associate Ghulam. Both men were wanted for their involvement in the murder of Umesh Pal.
“Asad and Ghulam were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj and were carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh each. They were killed in an encounter with the UP STF team,” said Special Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prasahant Kumar, news agency PTI reported.
Reports suggest that the slain duo opened fire at the STF when they were rounded up, leading to a retaliatory response from the STF resulting in their deaths. Sophisticated weapons, new cellphones and SIM cards have been recovered from them, police said.
“The UP STF team was led by Deputy SP Navendu and Vimal. Sophisticated foreign-made weapons were recovered from the accused. Further details are awaited,” he said.
With heightened security, former MP Atiq Ahmed and his brother Khalid Azim, also known as Ashraf were presented before a court in Prayagraj today. Atiq Ahmed was transported from Sabarmati Jail in Gujarat by road for the hearing, while Khalid Azim was brought from jail in Bareilly.
The killing happened amid repeated claims from gangster Atiq Ahmed that the Uttar Pradesh police were planning a staged encounter to kill him.
In Prayagraj, Umesh Pal, a lawyer who served as a witness in the 20a 05 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal, was assassinated in broad daylight outside his residence on February 24. The security personnel assigned to protect him were also killed in the attack, which raised serious concerns about Uttar Pradesh's law and order situation.
The incident drew attention once again to Atiq Ahmed, a former gangster turned politician who has been charged in over 100 cases. Ahmed, a former MP from the Samajwadi Party, was recently convicted in a kidnapping case related to the abduction of Umesh Pal in 2006, seventeen years before his murder.