'They want to murder me': Atiq Ahmed on being shifted from Gujarat to UP jail

Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed is fearing for his life after his transfer from Gujarat to Uttar Pradesh was approved on Sunday. Ahmed is named in more than 100 criminal cases, including the recent Umesh Pal murder case, police said.

Ahmed alleged that the UP police will kill him under the pretext of court appearance in his home state. Ahmed has been taken from the Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad to a prison in Prayagraj.

"Hatya, hatya (murder, murder)," Atiq Ahmed told reporters outside the jail.

'Hatya karna chahte hain'

When some reporters asked him while he was being taken to a police van if he feared for his life, the former Samajwadi Party MP said, "Mujhe inka programme maloom hai...Hatya karna chahte hain (I know their programme...They want to murder me)."

He also said that his appearance in a Prayagraj court was a just pretext for the police to kill him. He will be produced in court on March 28 when it is scheduled to pass an order in a kidnapping case in which he is an accused, officials said.

"Court ke kandhe pe rakh ke maarna chahte hain (They want to kill me under the pretext of court appearance)," he said as he was taken towards the van.

Atiq Ahmed's luck runs out after 4 years

The Supreme Court had in April 2019 directed that the former MP from Phulpur in UP be shifted to a high-security jail in Gujarat after he was accused of orchestrating the kidnapping and assault of a real estate businessman Mohit Jaiswal while in jail.

He has been lodged in the Sabarmati central jail since June 2019. He was shifted there from his home state as per the Supreme Court's order.

Ahmed is being shifted to Prayagraj by a team of 45 policemen, including two IPS officers. The police convoy has six vehicles undertaking the 1,275 km journey.