• Atiq Ahmed's son Asad Ahmed Killed in Encounter with UP Police

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    Atiq Ahmed's son Asad Ahmed Killed in Encounter with UP Police

    The 60-year-old and his brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf appeared in court earlier today in connection with the murder of Umesh Pal.


    Digital Desk: Asad Ahmed, the son of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, and one Ghulam, both wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, were slain in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Police near Jhansi. The UP Police Special Task Force (STF) team, led by Deputy SPs Navendu and Vimal, conducted the encounter.


    According to a UP STF release, both Asad and his accomplice Ghulam were carrying a prize of Rs 5 lakh each. The authorities seized sophisticated foreign-made weaponry.


    The news came a day after Atiq Ahmed was transferred from Gujarat's Sabarmati jail to Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj. Ahmed, a convict in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case, said Thursday that he is still alive due of the media attention he received while being transported to Prayagraj. When asked if his life was in danger, the former Uttar Pradesh MLA and Lok Sabha member replied, aap logo ka shukriya (thank you all). "I am safe because of you (the media)."


    The 60-year-old and his brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf appeared in court earlier today in connection with the murder of Umesh Pal.


    Umesh Pal murder case


    Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal, was shot dead outside his home in Prayagraj's Dhoomanganj neighbourhood on February 24.


    On February 25, a case was filed against Atiq Ahmed, Ashraf, their family members, and others based on a complaint filed by Umesh Pal's wife, Jaya Pal.


    Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with lethal weapons), 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to kill), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC were cited in the FIR.


    Atiq fears encounter


    Atiq Ahmed is concerned that he would be killed in a bogus encounter staged by the Uttar Pradesh Police.


    He again petitioned the Supreme Court last month, stating that he and his family had been wrongfully accused in the Umesh Pal case and that he was in danger of being killed.


    The Supreme Court, however, denied his petition but allowed him to petition the Allahabad High Court for protection based on his assertion that his life is in danger.