In the case of Umesh Pal’s murder, six people who were arrested were killed – four by the Uttar Pradesh Police, and two under the police escort by the men who chanted Hindutva slogans.
Out of the six, five were Muslims.
Asad Ahmed, the son of Atiq Ahmed, along with his associates Arbaz, Vijay Chaudhary, and Ghulam Hassan, were killed by the police following the murder of Umesh Pal and two policemen on February 24th.
The first extrajudicial killing was of Arbaz on February 27 in Allahabad. He was reportedly the driver of the accused’s vehicle on 24 February. This followed by the “encounter killing” of Vijay on March 6 again in Allahabad. Asad and Ghulam were shot dead by police in Jhansi on April 13.
Atiq and his brother Ashraf were killed by three men who we’re raising Jai Shri Ram slogans. As per senior police officials the identity of the three attackers have been traced as Arun Maurya of Kasganj, Lavlesh Tiwari of Banda and Rohit alias Sunny of Hamirpur.
Atiq and his family members have been seeking court protection on multiple occasions, claiming that they are facing threats and their lives are at risk. Furthermore, Atiq has approached the Supreme Court to ensure his safety while in custody for the Umesh Pal murder case.
After the cold-blooded murder of Atiq, a senior police officer stated that his family has been “almost wiped out.”
Atiq’s two sons, Umar and Ali, are currently incarcerated, while his two minor sons are being held in a Children’s Protection Home under close police supervision. Atiq’s wife, Shaista Parveen, who carries a reward of Rs. 50,000, is currently on the run and has not been apprehended by the authorities.
