Ajit Karn
On Tuesday, the brother of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed of Uttar Pradesh, Ashraf Ahmed, who was convicted in the Umesh Pal murder case, alleged that an officer told him he would be killed in two weeks.
When he was brought to Bareilly jail on Tuesday, Ashraf stated, “I’ve been threatened by an officer that I’ll be taken out of jail in two weeks and killed.”
He added that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath understands his suffering because he, too, has been the target of false charges.
“Accusations made against me are false. “CM understands my anguish, as he too has been the target of false accusations,” he continued.
He added that the threat was issued by a high-ranking official whose identity would be disclosed to the Chief Minister, the Chief Justice of India, and the Chief Justice of Allahabad.
“A senior officer issued this threat.” Ashraf stated, “I cannot reveal his name, but if I am murdered, the Chief Minister, Supreme Court Chief Justice, and Allahabad Chief Justice will receive a sealed envelope containing his name.”
Tuesday, the Prayagraj MP-MLA Court in Uttar Pradesh found Ashraf and Atiq Ahmed culpable in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case. The court also sentenced Atiq to life in prison for his role in the abduction of the deceased Umesh Pal.
Ashraf was transferred to the Bareilly jail, while Atiq is being transported to the Sabarmati prison in Gujarat.
This is the first time in 43 years that Atiq Ahmed, who has over 100 cases pending against him, has been convicted in a case.
The court also sentenced Dinesh Pasi and Khan Saulat Hanif to life in prison and fined each of the three convicts Rs 5,000. Seven additional defendants, including Atiq Ahmed’s brother Ashraf, have been exonerated.
Ahmed was found guilty after Umesh Pal, an attorney and key witness in the 2005 murder case of BSP MLA Raju Pal, was murdered in Prayagraj on February 24.
Ahmed is also the primary suspect in the assassination of Umesh Pal. In addition to Umesh Pal, two of his security personnel were also shot and killed.
Ahmed, a former Member of Parliament and Member of the Legislative Assembly, was transported by Uttar Pradesh Police from Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Jail to Prayagraj’s Naini jail on Monday after a 24-hour journey.
Shanti Devi, the mother of Umesh Pal, stated following the court’s decision that Ahmed should have received the death penalty for “murdering” her son.
“He (Atiq Ahmed) was given a life sentence for hijacking my son, but he should have been given the death penalty for murdering my son. She told reporters, “I have faith in UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the judicial system.”
Raju Pal, a BSP legislator, was assassinated on January 25, 2005. Additionally, Devilal Pal and Sandeep Yadav perished.
The abduction of Umesh Pal occurred on February 28, 2006. Atiq Ahmed allegedly abducted him from a Land Cruiser near Phansi Imli in the vicinity of the Dhumanganj police station.
He was “beaten and electrocuted” and Atiq “forced Umesh Pal to give a written statement in his favor on March 1, 2006, stating that he was not at the scene and did not wish to testify.”
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Umesh Pal filed a kidnapping charge in July 2007 at the Dhumanganj police station, following the formation of the BSP administration in Uttar Pradesh that year.
