Extra Affair – Bharat Bharadwaj
Gangster-cum-politician Atiq Ahmed of Uttar Pradesh is in the news again. Umesh Pal was killed in UP’s Prayagraj last month. When the Uttar Pradesh police left to take Atiq Ahmad, imprisoned in Sabarmati Jail, to Prayagraj for questioning in this case, there was a fear that the UP police would also set up Atiq Ahmad in an encounter, but luckily for Atiq, he reached Prayagraj unharmed. Of course, now there is a debate about how long the survivor Atiq will be able to survive and that is why Atiq Ahmad is in discussion.
After Yogi Adityanath assumed power in UP, the mafia has started to settle. UP police is also killing gangsters one after another by encountering encounter like Mumbai police. Yogi’s game plan is to end crime in UP and attract outsiders, but among the few who are disruptive is one Atiq Ahmad. Atiq Ahmad runs a powerful gang in UP and has been a target of the Yogi government for a long time. Now all eyes are on what happens when the Yogi government gets an opportunity to manipulate Atik because of the Umesh Pal murder.
Umesh Pal was the main witness in the Dhola Day murder case of BSP MLA Raju Pal in Prayagraj on Republic Day in 2005. Umesh Pal is also the brother-in-law of Raju Pal. Atiq Ahmed is the main accused in Raju Pal’s murder case, so it was clear that Atiq himself had killed Umesh Pal. As the police investigation revealed the involvement of Atiq’s men, the UP police is framing Atiq’s men in one encounter after another, on the other hand, the court ordered that Atiq, who is also lodged in Sabarmati Jail, should be brought to UP for questioning in this case.
Following this order, when the UP Police came to take Atiq to Prayagraj from the Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad, a flustered Atiq initially refused to go with the UP Police. However, following the court order, Atiq’s father was also not released without accompanying the police. Atik has been transported to UP amid tight security but now there are doubts whether he will return to Sabarmati from UP. This is because Yogi wants to manipulate Atik in any way possible.
Yogi wants to settle Atik as Atik’s crime empire is huge. Atiq Ahmed has more than 120 cases against him, including the murder of Umesh Pal. Many crimes including murder, assault, kidnapping, extortion, robbery have been registered against him. Atik also started a political journey due to his awe and was successful in it. Atik, who has been a four-time MLA and once an MP, once held sway.
Although with the rise of the BJP, that influence was lost and Atiq fell politically, but his crime network remains intact. Umesh Atiq still has the biggest gang in UP with more than 150 paid shooters. Atiq’s extortion and contract work flourishes in and around Allahabad. Since the day Yogi Adityanath came to power, he has broken down on Atik but could not end this empire in six years.
Now Atiq Ahmed has not only proved his strength but has also challenged the Yogi government by breaking into Umesh Pal’s house and killing him. Atiq killed Umesh Pal in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh in a very cinematic style. Six assailants of the Atiq gang, armed with machine guns, barged into Pal’s house and fired bullets indiscriminately, killing Pal in the sect.
Armed men were constantly with him to protect Umesh Pal, but the assailants attacked with such ferocity that there was no chance of escape. Umesh Pal went out in the car around five o’clock in the evening and after the car left the house, Pal got down to close the door. An assailant hiding nearby approached and shot the injured Umesh Pal as he ran towards the house, but the assailant entered the house and ended the game by shooting bullets.
Radhvendra, the gunman who was kept for Umesh Pal’s security, came out and injured him too without giving him a chance. Umesh Pal also had other men for protection at home. As these men did not give chase, the attackers got away by indiscriminately showering bullets and also throwing bombs in film style. This is how Yogi’s nose grew because of the killing in UP.
In the wake of this murder, Akhilesh Yadav accused the Yogi regime of mafia rule, while the enraged Yogi alleged that Atiq Ahmad, who was responsible for the murder, was nurtured by the Samajwadi Party. Yogi denied that, Hum mafiao ke khilaf hain aur Atiq Ahmad ko mitti mein milla denge. Due to Yogi’s arrogance, it is certain that Atiq will not leave Ahmad, so now we are watching what happens to Atiq.
However, eliminating excess is not so easy. Atiq is a habitual and murderous gangster. Atiq has been in the world of crime since the age of 16 and the first case was registered against him at the age of 19. After the Gangster Act came into force in UP in 1986, the first case was registered against 23-year-old Atiq Ahmad. The mafia that Atiq started in the 1980s by creating a crime network in Allahabad continues today. On the strength of this mafia, Atiq became an MLA by winning as an independent from the Allahabad West seat for the first time in 1989. Atik also won in 1991 and 1993 as an independent. In 1996, Atiq became an MLA for the fourth time on a SP ticket. In 2004, he won from Phulpur Lok Sabha seat and became a member of Lok Sabha.
Seeing this power of Atik, if Yogi can eliminate him, it will be considered a great achievement.
