All India Majili-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday questioned the legality of the killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad’s son Asad in an alleged encounter with UP Police. Owaisi said an inquiry into the killing will be carried out as per the Supreme Court guidelines but the “so-called encounter should not take place.” (Also Read | ‘3 bullet wounds… bleeding from back’: Doctor on Asad Ahmad, Ghulam post-mortem)
Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday said they shot dead Asad Ahmad and an accomplice Ghulam Mohammad, both wanted in a high-profile murder case, during a gun battle in the state’s Jhansi district, sparking a political storm over the controversial encounter.
“Questions are arising. The inquiry will take place as per Supreme Court guidelines. But I believe that the so-called encounter should not take place. Umesh Pal and Raju Pal were murdered, our sympathies. How can we support their murderers? But there is a process, law, and Constitution. Punish them accordingly. Who is stopping you?” Owaisi said.
This is the third controversial encounter connected to the Umesh Pal murder case.
Asad and Ghulam were accused in the murder of advocate Umesh Pal and two policemen providing him security. Umesh Pal was a key witness in the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) lawmaker Raju Pal in Prayagraj on January 25, 2005, a case in which Atiq Ahmad and his brother Khalid Azeem, alias Ashraf, were the prime accused. (Also Read | ‘Will not receive body…’ : Mother of Asad Ahmad’s aide after he was shot)
Mohammed Arbaaz, 26, who allegedly drove Umesh Pal’s assailants, was gunned down in Prayagraj three days after the murder. On March 6, Vijay Chowdhury, who allegedly fired the first shot at Umesh Pal, was killed in another encounter. Both Arbaaz and Chowdhury were identified from multiple surveillance camera grabs after Umesh Pal’s murder, according to police.
Asad’s killing in an alleged encounter has triggered a political row, with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) demanding a thorough investigation. While SP chief Akhilesh Yadav called the encounter “fake” and said the state government was trying to divert attention from real issues, BSP chief Mayawati said the killing could be a repeat of the “Vikas Dubey incident”.
