Jailed gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed's convoy reaches MP amid 'murder' apprehensions
Jailed former MP Atiq Ahmed, who is being brought to Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj from Gujarat's Sabarmati Jail for a court hearing, reached Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri on Monday. The gangster-turned-politician earlier expressed fear he would be murdered en route to Prayagraj. Ahmed—accused in the Umesh Pal murder case—is also charged in a kidnapping case on which a Prayagraj court would pass an order on Tuesday.
Why does this story matter?
Since 2019, Ahmed had been lodged in Sabarmati Jail, but the Prayagraj Police reached Ahmedabad Sunday to bring him for the kidnapping case hearing. To recall, Pal—a witness to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal's 2005 murder—was shot dead on February 24, following which CM Yogi Adityanath vowed to decimate mafias in UP. Interestingly, two of Pal's shooters were killed in encounters recently.
Police convoy reached Shivpuri today morning
On Monday morning, Ahmed's police convoy reached Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri after it crossed the Kota hanging bridge in Rajasthan late Sunday night. He is being escorted by a squad of 45 police personnel, which also includes an encounter specialist. Reportedly, the accused will be kept in isolation at the Naini Central Jail in a high-security barrack, and his cell will be under CCTV surveillance.
Visuals of Ahmed being shifted to UP
Ahmed to be produced before Prayagraj court tomorrow
The Prayagraj Police team escorting Ahmed decided to briefly halt in Shivpuri on Monday on the way to Uttar Pradesh. Named in over 100 criminal cases, Ahmed is scheduled to be produced before a Prayagraj court that is set to pass an order on Tuesday in the kidnapping and assault case of real estate businessman Mohit Jaiswal in which the gangster-turned-politician is an accused.
Details on Ahmed's transfer to UP
To transfer Ahmed, the Uttar Pradesh Police chose a road route from Ahmedabad-Prayagraj that would take over 30 hours. Director General (Prisons) Anand Kumar said, "Atiq Ahmed will be kept in isolation in a high-security barrack." "His cell will have a CCTV camera. Jail staff will be chosen and deployed on the basis of their records, they will have body-worn cameras," added Kumar.
Ahmed's 'hatya, hatya' video goes viral
On Sunday, outside the Sabarmati Central Jail, Ahmed alleged that his appearance at the court in Prayagraj was just a pretext for the police to murder him. "Hatya, hatya (murder, murder)," the accused told reporters outside the jail. "Mujhe inka program maloom hai... Hatya karna chahte hain (I know their program... They want to murder me)," Ahmed was quoted as saying by PTI.
Video of Ahmed leaving Sabarmati Jail
Ahmed, brother Azim named as accused in Pal's murder
Meanwhile, another team of the Prayagraj Police was earlier in Bareilly to bring Ahmed's brother, former MLA Khalid Azim alias Ashraf, to the city. Azim, who is also accused in the Pal murder case and the Jaiswal kidnapping case along with his brother, will be produced before the Prayagraj court on Tuesday as well.
Murder suspects killed in separate encounters
Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that two main suspected shooters in the Pal murder case, namely Arbaz and Vijay Kumar, were shot dead in separate encounters by the police that took place on February 27 and March 6, respectively. Later on March 9, Shabir, the brother of another suspect, was also found dead in a field in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi district.
