Video Input: Shashwat Singh
Video Producers: Aparna Singh, Shohini Bose
Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam
The Uttar Pradesh Police said on Thursday, 13 April, that gangster-turned politician Atiq Ahmed's son Asad, who was wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, has been killed in an encounter in Jhansi.
Another accused in the case, named Ghulam, was also shot dead in the encounter with the UP Special Task Force, news agency PTI reported.
A reward of Rs 5 lakh had been announced for both Asad and Ghulam in the case.
Atiq Ahmed's son Asad and another accused named Ghulam were killed by the UP Police in Jhansi on Thursday, 13 April.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
'Zero-tolerance Policy Against Mafia': UP Police
"The UP STF team was led by Deputy SP Navendu and Vimal. Sophisticated foreign made weapons were recovered from the accused," Special Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prasahant Kumar was quoted as saying by PTI.
"The government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against the mafia. The result of this policy is before everyone today," Kumar added.
He further stated that, "We had information that to help the accused Atiq and Ashraf escape there could be an attack on the police convoy bringing them back to UP in the case (Umesh Pal murder case). In view of this information, teams of civil police and special forces were deployed."
This came just minutes before Atiq Ahmed was presented in a Prayagraj court in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case. Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were remanded to four day police custody by the court.
Amitabh Yash, Additional Director General of UP STF, said, "We cannot give details of how we narrowed them down yet, but the force was able to track them down after a lot of efforts. We had information beforehand that they have sophisticated weapons, so the team went fully prepared."
He further said that the police had recovered "rare foreign weapons" from the deceased, including a a .455 British Bulldog revolver and a Walther P88 pistol.
'We Thank the Yogi Govt for Delivering Justice': Pal's Mother
Meanwhile, Pal's family thanked Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the police for "delivering justice."
When asked about Atiq, Pal's mother Shanti Devi said: "He is in police custody and they are questioning him. Depending on what he says, the courts will decide what to do."
The UP Chief Minister's Office said that after the encounter, Adityanath praised the actions of the police and conducted a meeting on the law and order situation in Jhansi.
UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya also congratulated the UP Police, saying that their actions exemplified a "message to criminals" in "new India."
"I congratulate UP STF for this action. Police fired in retaliation after they were fired upon by them. It is a message to criminals that this is the new India. It is Yogi government in UP, not Samajwadi Party in power which gave protection to criminals," he said while addressing the press.
Meanwhile, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said that the encounter should be investigated.
"The BJP government is trying to divert attention from the real issues thorough these fake encounters. The BJP does not believe in the court at all. Today's and recent encounters should also be thoroughly investigated and the culprits should not be spared. The government does not have the right to decide what is right or wrong," Yadav said.
AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi also accused the BJP of "doing encounters in the name of religion."
"Will the BJP also shoot those who killed Junaid and Nasir? No, because you (BJP) do counters in the name of religion. You want to weaken the rule of law, do encounter of the Constitution."
"What are the courts for then? What are judges for? Shut the courts if you want to decide everything on your own," Owaisi added.
Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2005 murder case of a BSP MLA, was shot dead along with his two police security personnel outside his home in Prayagraj's Dhoomanganj in February this year. Based on a complaint filed by Pal's wife, a case was filed against Atiq Ahmed, his son Asad, brother Ashraf, Ghulam and others.
The case against them was filed under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons), 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
(With inputs from PTI.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)