New Delhi: Amid the action on Umesh Pal's murder accused Atiq Ahmed's house, wherein the authorities in Prayagraj bulldozed the house his family was living, a video message from the lawyer of Atiq has emerged from Delhi on Wednesday.
In the video, Atiq's lawyer Khan Saulat Hanif has claimed that the house which has been bulldozed in Prayagraj belongs to Zafar Ahmed Khan, an ANI reporter from Banda, (said to be Atiq Ahmed's close aide) who had purchased the house on Jan 7, 2021. The man goes on to state that Atiq Ahmed's family was only staying in the house on rent. Hanif said that Ahmed will now move the High Court and Supreme Court against the action taken by authorities without any notice being issued to him. “The owner didn't even know about the action. He got to know about it from TV. He was served no notice about the action,” Hanif said.
The house was rented by Atiq Ahmed after his house was demolished last year by authorities in Lucknow. Although, the electricity bill was in Atiq's wife Shaista Parveen's name. The advocate has also claimed that the property papers and every document is in the name of the journalist.
Umesh Pal killing
Umesh Pal, a witness to a 2005 murder case, was killed in a daylight shooting outside his home in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj. His security guard was also killed in the shootout by five men. The killing was allegedly planned by gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, who is currently in jail in Ahmedabad. According to the police, Atiq Ahmed sent his closest associates to kill the witness before he could record his statement to the police.
Bulldozers demolish house of Atiq Ahmed's close aide
This morning, bulldozers arrived at the home of Zafar Ahmed, another close aide of Atiq Ahmed, who is also missing since the shootout. The home, located in Prayagraj, was reportedly demolished by the police. Reports suggest Atiq Ahmed's wife and son were also in the bungalow. Earlier today, the police also raided Atiq Ahmed's home in Lucknow and seized two luxury cars.
Recently, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had spoken out against the Samajwadi Party in the assembly, stating that his government would 'run the mafia into the ground'. "Is it not true that the accused against whom the FIR has been lodged, was made an MP by Samajwadi Party? You raise and nurture all the criminals, garland them and then blame others when a crime takes place. By doing this, you are just making a spectacle of yourself," the Chief Minister said.
Yogi Adityanath's "bulldozer policy" has been criticized for selective targeting of those accused of crimes.
