Prayagraj: Shanti Devi, mother of slain lawyer Umesh Pal on Thursday thanked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and expressed her full faith in the Uttar Pradesh government, for giving "justice" after gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad was shot dead in an encounter in Jhansi. "I thank CM Yogi ji for serving justice and I appeal to him to give us justice ahead also. We have full faith in CM," said Shanti Devi, mother of Umesh Pal, the advocate who was killed in broad daylight in Prayagraj earlier this year.
"This is a tribute to my son. I thank the Chief Minister and the police department which discharged their duties," Shanti Devi told reporters in Prayagraj.
Jaya Devi, Umesh Pal`s widow also thanked the chief minister. “I thank the Chief Minister who took such a decision. He gave punishment to the killers of his daughter`s husband. It is justice. I expect that the Chief Minister will do good whatever he does. I express my gratitude to the Chief Minister who is like a fatherly figure," she said.
Asad, Aide Killed In Jhansi Encounter
Atiq Ahmed`s son Asad was killed in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in Jhansi, police said on Thursday. Asad was killed along with Ghulam, both of whom were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj. Each of them carried a reward of Rs5 lakh. "Asad and Ghulam were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj and were carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh each. They were killed in an encounter with a UP STF team," said Special Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar.
The encounter took place on a day Ahmad was presented before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Prayagraj in the murder case and was sent to 14-day judicial custody.
How UP STF Tracked Asad?
Visuals showed two bodies lying beside a motorbike at the site of the alleged encounter. An ambulance later took them away. STF officials said Asad and Ghulam were on the run since the murder of Umesh Pal on February 24. Several STF teams were pressed to track them down. On Thursday, they were trying to flee on a motorcycle when they were intercepted by an STF team in Jhansi, the officials said, adding they opened fire on the personnel and were killed in retaliatory firing.
Foreign-Made Weapons Recovered
Ex-MP & gangster Atiq Ahmed's son Asad, aide killed in an encounter by a team of 12 members of UP STF in Jhansi today.
One British Bulldog Revolver .455 bore and Walther P88 7.63 bore pistol recovered from them. pic.twitter.com/FxZgvtuS4n
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) April 13, 2023
The UP police said, "Sophisticated foreign-made weapons were recovered from the accused." The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force team was led by deputy superintendents of police Navendu Kumar and Vimal Kumar. ''Asad, son of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and Ghulam S/o Maksudan, both wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj and carrying a reward of Rupees five lakhs each; killed in an encounter with the UPSTF team led by DySP Navendu and DySP Vimal at Jhansi. Sophisticated foreign-made weapons recovered," UP STF said.
Atiq Ahmed, Ashraf Remanded To 14-Day Judicial Custody
Meanwhile, a Prayagraj court sent gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf to 14-day judicial custody on Thursday in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case. The two were produced before Chief Judicial Magistrate Dinesh Gautam at 11:10 am amid heavy security and they remained in the court for over two hours as the arguments proceeded.
Ahmad and Ashraf, alias Khalid Azim, will be kept in Naini jail in Prayagraj till April 26, said advocate Vikram Singh, the counsel for Umesh Pal's wife Jaya.
Singh said the arguments on the application for their police custody were yet to be completed.
Message To Criminals: UP DyCM
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya hailed the state Special Task Force on the encounter of Asad and his aide, and termed the action, a "message to criminals". While speaking to ANI, Maurya said, "I congratulate UP STF for this action. Police fired in retaliation after they (Asad and his aide Ghulam) fired upon them." "It is a message to criminals that this is the new India. It is Yogi govt in UP, not Samajwadi Party in power which gave protection to criminals," he said.
