In about 72 hours of the sensational murder that triggered a heated debate in the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on Saturday, the state police have been catching up with the accused, with one of them being shot dead in an encounter in Prayagraj on Monday afternoon. The encounter also comes barely 48 hours after chief minister Yogi Adityanath tore into the opposition’s furor over the law and order situation in the state following the gruesome murder of Umesh Pal by armed men in broad daylight on Friday in Prayagraj.
On Saturday, the UP government faced massive outrage in the assembly led by leader of opposition and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. The attempts to corner the government were, however, averted when Yogi Adityanath himself responded to the opposition’s charge by launching a fierce counterattack.
The CM accused the Samajwadi Party of promoting and shielding the likes of Atique Ahmad, the don-turned-former SP MP, who is the prime accused in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal. Umesh Pal was a key witness against Atique and others in this case. Yogi didn’t just stop at demolishing the opposition’s attack but also promised to grind the mafia to dust in Uttar Pradesh by unleashing decisive action against the persons involved in the sensational murder.
Soon after Umesh Pal was killed using firearms and crude bombs by a group of assailants in Prayagraj on Friday afternoon, the UP CM pressed the special task force of the UP police into the investigation. By Saturday morning, the CCTV footage of the attack had also come out. The fact that Umesh Pal’s testimony in the Raju Pal murder case had been a crucial piece of evidence for the prosecution against Atique Ahmed and his brother, former SP MLA Ashraf, is a strong reason to suspect the role of the two behind the latest killing.
Both Atique and Ashraf had been at the receiving end of the Yogi government’s policy of zero tolerance against the big and organised mafia. The brothers have been behind bars for several years now. While Atique is in Gujrat’s Sabarmati prison, Ashraf is presently in Bareilly jail. Both have also been made accused in the Umesh Pal murder case.
Following the political uproar over the murder that could reignite the debate on the law and order situation in the state, UP police were quick to pick up several suspects during extensive operations in the past 48 hours.
Atique’s wife Shaista Parveen also approached the courts on Monday, accusing the police of keeping her two sons in illegal custody. The police were yet to respond to the charge when reports last came in.
Shaista is presently associated with the Bahujan Samaj Party. Though BSP chief Mayawati had held the Samajwadi Party responsible for the “creation of Atique”, she has refused to act against Shaista. “Shaista Parveen will be sacked from the party only if she is found to be involved in the murder,” said Mayawati.
While pressure was beginning to build on the issue, police seem to have eased some of it by eliminating one of the accused in an encounter in Prayagraj on Monday. The man has been identified as Arbaz. Police sources say he is the same man who was seen driving the motorcycle used in Friday’s crime.
Aged around 25, Arbaz was said to be a shooter from the Atique gang. The CCTV footage of the crime shows the involvement of 6 to 7 men. Two cars and a bike were used by the assailants to attack Umesh Pal, who was an advocate by profession. The gunner provided to Umesh was also injured in the attack.
Sources in UP police told News18 that the possible role of the Mukhtar Ansari gang is also being looked into. There is a strong possibility that the Ansari gang provided some logistical support in the execution of the crime, they added. Like Atique, Mukhtar too has been at the receiving end of Yogi’s anti-mafia drive. The former MLA is presently lodged in Banda central jail.
Highly placed sources in the special task force (STF) told News18 that significant intelligence has also been received on possible locations of other assailants in the case. STF ADG Amitabh Yash is personally monitoring the operations, they said.
Prahsant Kumar, ADG (law and order), said, “The perpetrators of the crime will not be spared and the identity of anyone sharing any information about the absconding accused will be kept confidential.”
Since both Atique Ahmed and his brother have also been accused of a conspiracy and their names surfaced in the FIR, there is a strong possibility of the two being questioned by the police soon, sources said.
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