Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, brother Ashraf shot dead in Prayagraj 

Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were killed when unidentified assailants opened fire at them near a medical college here on April 15 night.

PTI correspondents saw police taking away the bullet-riddled bodies of Ahmad and Ashraf from the spot.

Both of them had been brought here for a court hearing in connection with the 2005 Umesh Pal murder case.

Earlier, the last rites of Asad Ahmad were performed at Kasari Masari graveyard here amid heavy police security, with only a few distant relatives and locals present inside the burial ground. The burial lasted for an hour, police said.

Asad and his accomplice Ghulam, both wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, were shot dead in an exchange of fire with the Uttar Pradesh Police near Jhansi on April 13.

Asad was the third of the five sons of Atiq Ahmad and was absconding since the Umesh Pal murder case. Ghulam’s burial took place at a graveyard under the Shivkuti police station area.

Incidently, Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were being questioned by the Uttar Pradesh Police in the Dhoomanganj police station, around 3 km from the burial venue.

When asked by reporters to comment on Asad’s death, his uncle Ashraf said, “Allah had taken back what belonged to him.”

“The last rites of Asad Ahmad have been completed, and it went for an hour. A few distant relatives of Atiq and some people of the locality were allowed to go to the graveyard. This was necessary from the security point of view,” Joint Commissioner of Police, Prayagraj, Akash Kulhari told PTI.

He added that the burial of Ghulam took place at a graveyard under Shivkuti police station area.

Earlier, Asad’s uncle, Usman, reached the graveyard with the body of his nephew.

Media was strictly restricted from entering the heavily guarded graveyard.

Atiq had on April 14 sought permission from a magistrate to attend the funeral of his son. His lawyer Manish Khanna had told PTI that since Friday (April 14) was a holiday on account of Ambedkar Jayanti, the request had been sent to the remand magistrate.

However, the burial took place before Atiq’s application could be presented in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate on April 15 .

Speaking to reporters here after Asad’s burial, one of his distant relatives (grandfather) Hamid Ali, said, “A number of family members took part in the last rites. However, among the very close relatives, only his uncle (‘phupha’) attended the last rites.”

Mr. Ali added that initially arrangements were made to give a bath to the body at the ancestral place of Atiq Ahmad, but later it was told that the body will be taken directly to the graveyard.

All the rituals, which are done before the burial of the body, were completed at the graveyard itself, he said.

Mr. Ali also said, “No family members or relatives were stopped from coming to the graveyard, and the rituals pertaining to burial of the body were done properly. We do not have any complaints with the administration, and everything was done in a good manner. Around 100 persons attended the last rites (of Asad).”

Facing flak over the brazen killing of Umesh Pal, a prime witness in the 2005 case of a BSP MLA’s murder, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on February 25 accused the Samajwadi Party of patronising mafias and vowed to destroy them.

“The mafioso whose name is emerging … is it not true that the Samajwadi Party had made him an MP… He was a mafioso nurtured by the SP. Our government is working to break their back. ‘Mitti me mila denge’,” Mr. Adityanath had thundered in the UP Legislative Assembly.

Among Atiq’s other sons, the eldest son Umar is lodged in the Lucknow jail, while the second son Ali is lodged in Naini Central Jail in separate cases.

The fourth son Ahjam and the youngest son Aban are housed in a juvenile home in Prayagraj.

Atiq’s parents’ remains are also buried in the same graveyard (Kasari Masari), according to Janu Khan, who claimed to have dug the grave of Asad.

Atiq is presently serving life imprisonment in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case.

Asad was caught on CCTV when Umesh Pal was killed and had been on the run for the past about 50 days, police said.

On April 13, police said an STF team led by two deputy superintendents of police reached Badagaon area in Jhansi district after getting information about the presence of gangsters.

Asad and Ghulam, who were carrying a reward of ₹5 lakh each, tried to flee on a motorcycle, police had said.

They opened fire at the STF team when it surrounded them and the policemen retaliated, they said, adding the two men were killed in the exchange of fire.

Chief Medical Officer of Jhansi Dr Sudhakar Pandey, when contacted refused to divulge the details of the post-mortem report of Asad and Ghulam.