Amid tight security, Mafia-turned-SP politician Atiq Ahmad was brought back to Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati jail after completion of the court formalities in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Ahmad who is sentenced to imprisonment for life in the kidnapping of Umesh Pal in 2006 was brought to Prayagraj’s Naini Central Jail for a court hearing that was scheduled on March 28.
According to the reports, a team of the Uttar Pradesh police reached the Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad city on March 26 morning to take Atiq Ahmad to Prayajrag where he was to be produced before a court. While on the way to Prayagraj, Atiq Ahmed’s convoy, escorted by the Uttar Pradesh police entered MP’s Jhansi where it halted for 20 minutes before continuing its onward journey.
Ahmad while on the journey had expressed concerns about being killed by the UP police team in an encounter. “Hatya, hatya (murder, murder)…Mujhe inka programme maloom hai…Hatya karna chahte hain (I know their program…They want to murder me),” he was heard saying. On finally reaching the city of Prayagraj he was lodged in the Naini Central Jail before the court proceeding.
Meanwhile, Atiq Ahmad’s brother Ashraf was also taken from Bareilly jail to Prayagraj jail. He was transferred in connection with the kidnapping case in which Atiq is a co-accused. He also has been sent back to the Bareilly jail, alive.
The Mafia-turned-politician on returning to the Sabarmati jail reiterated that he had no role in the murder of Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2006 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case. He claimed that he was in jail when Umesh Pal was murdered and that he is being falsely implicated in the case. He further claimed he had no knowledge about his son Asad’s whereabouts.
Ahmad, who received a life term in prison in the 2006 case, was brought back to the Sabarmati jail with a maximum-security facility on Wednesday evening after traveling almost 24 hours by car from Prayagraj.
More than 100 criminal cases have the former Samajwadi Party lawmaker’s name on them, and most recently, he was cited as an accused in the murder of Umesh Pal.