Atiq Ahmed, Ashraf Shot Dead: From Gangster's Reign of Terror to Murder on Camera, All You Need to Know

Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad (60) and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college here for a checkup.

The brothers, both jailed in Prayagraj, were in handcuffs when they were killed in full view of camera crews around 10 pm. The horrifying visuals were circulated widely on social media platforms and television channels. The last rites of Ahmad’s son Asad, who was gunned down in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, were performed here just hours before the shooting.

Who Was Atiq Ahmed and Why Was he in Jail?

Atiq, a former Samajwadi Party MP, had been lodged in the Sabarmati central jail since June 2019. He was shifted there following a Supreme Court order after he was accused of orchestrating the kidnapping and assault on real estate businessman Mohit Jaiswal while in prison in UP. He was named in more than 100 criminal cases, including the recent Umesh Pal murder case.

Atiq’s criminal story began in 1979 when he was named as an accused in a murder case. Ten years later, he stepped into politics and won the Allahabad West assembly seat as an Independent in elections in 1989, 1991 and 1993. He contested the 1996 elections from the seat on the Samajwadi Party ticket and emerged victorious. Read more about the rest of his political journey here

The gangster-cum-neta‘s first major setback occurred when he was named in Raju Pal’s murder case, as per an Indian Express report. The report cited sources as saying that the the incident occurred after Raju defeated Ahmed’s brother, Ashraf, in an Assembly by-election for the Allahabad West seat in 2005. Raju’s wife then filed a FIR against Atiq, Ashraf, and seven unidentified others on allegations of rioting, attempted murder, murder, and criminal conspiracy.

Raju was shot dead outside his house on January 25, 2005, while coming from a hospital with his associates Sandeep Yadav and Devi Lal.

Atiq Ahmed finally surrendered in 2008 under political and police pressure, only to be released in 2012. He later ran for Lok Sabha in 2014 on an SP ticket, but lost. During this time, his relationship with the SP deteriorated, and Akhilesh Yadav distanced himself from Ahmed due to his criminal past, the report says. He was arrested by authorities in February 2017 for reportedly attacking staff members at the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Sciences in Prayagraj. In 2019, while he was still in jail, Ateeq filed a nomination from the Varanasi constituency against Prime Minister Narendra Modi but managed to get only 855 votes.

What is the Umesh Pal Murder Case?

Umesh Pal was a key witness in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal, and was gunned down outside his residence in Prayagraj in broad daylight on February 24 this year.

On the basis of a complaint lodged by Umesh Pal’s wife Jaya Pal, a case was registered at Dhoomanganj police station (in Prayagraj) against Atiq Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Gulam and nine. The conspiracy to murder Umesh Pal was planned at Bareilly jail in Uttar Pradesh at the behest of infamous gangster Atiq Ahmed, reports had alleged. Atiq Ahmed’s brother Ashraf, who was an accused in Raju Pal’s murder, was lodged at Bareilly jail at the time of the incident.

CM Yogi’s Drive Against Mafia

“Iss House mein keh raha hoon. Iss mafia ko mitti me mila denge.”

These were the remarks of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath before the Assembly on February 25, a day after Umesh Pal was killed. As the House had convened that day for a debate on the Governor’s address, the Opposition Samajwadi Party brought up the killing of Umesh Pal to call the state’s law and order situation into question. In response, Yogi Adityanath stated that the results of the government’s zero-tolerance policy for crime will be shown “very soon” to everyone.

Atiq’s son Asad was one of the two who were gunned down in an encounter on Thursday. The incident took place in broad daylight and police identified five persons as being involved in the crime: Vijay Chaudhary alias Usman, Arbaaz (driver of the vehicle used by the assailants), Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad Ahmed, Asad’s assistant Ghulam, and Guddu Muslim.

All five had been on the run since the murder, but the UP Police had tracked them down.

Arbaz was slain in an encounter on February 27, two days after Umesh Pal’s murder. Then, on March 6, Vijay Chaudhary was assassinated in Prayagraj. Read more about the encounter here

What Have Police Said About Atiq, Ashraf’s Killings

Briefing reporters about the incident, Commissioner of Police, Prayagraj, Ramit Sharma said the three assailants, who were arrested immediately after the incident, had joined the group of mediapersons who were trying to get sound bites from Ahmad and Ashraf.

“In accordance with a mandatory legal requirement, Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf were brought to the hospital for a medical examination. According to preliminary information, three men posing as journalists approached them and opened fire. Ahmad and Ashraf were killed in the attack. The attackers have been held and are being questioned,” Sharma said.

Police constable Man Singh was injured in the incident as a bullet hit his arm, the officer said, adding that a journalist was also hurt after he fell during the commotion that followed the shooting.

Video footage showed a man thrusting a gun at Ahmad’s head as he talks to reporters and the former Samajwadi Party (SP) MP collapsing. The footage also showed the three assailants firing at the brothers even after they had fallen.

The bullet-riddled bodies of Ahmad and Ashraf were taken away from the spot as tension gripped the area after the sensational killings. Read more about this here

How Will Police Probe the Killings?

Officials said Adityanath has formed a three-member judicial commission to probe the killing of Ahmad and his brother. They added that prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) have been issued in all districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Political Reactions

Reacting to the incident, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said in a tweet in Hindi: “Crime has reached its peak in Uttar Pradesh and the criminals are unfazed. When someone can be shot dead amidst a police cordon, then what about the safety of the general public? An atmosphere of fear is being created among the public due to this and it seems that some people are deliberately creating such an atmosphere.” Ahmad, a former SP MP, and his brother were brought here for a court hearing in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case and were remanded in police custody.

Ahmad’s son Asad and one of his accomplices were killed in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13.

The last rites of Asad were performed at the Kasari Masari graveyard here on Saturday amid heavy police security, with only a few distant relatives and locals present inside the burial ground.

Incidentally, Ahmad and Ashraf were being questioned by the Uttar Pradesh Police at the Dhoomanganj police station, around 3 km from the burial venue.

Asked by reporters to comment on Asad’s death, his uncle Ashraf said, “Allah has taken back what belonged to him.”

Atiq Was Recently Convicted

A police team from Uttar Pradesh brought Atiq, who was lodged in the high-security Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, to Prayagraj on March 26 to produce him in a court in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case.

On March 28, the court sentenced Atiq and two others to life imprisonment in the kidnapping case.

In 2006, Atiq and his aides abducted Umesh Pal and forced him to give a statement in court in their favour. Umesh Pal had got a complaint registered in this regard.

The Supreme Court had in April 2019 directed that Ahmad be shifted to a high-security jail in Gujarat after he was accused of orchestrating the kidnapping and assault of Lucknow-based real-estate businessman Mohit Jaiswal while in jail.

With inputs from PTI

Read all the Latest Explainers here