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Umesh Pal murder: Key assailant Gulam’s house demolished in U.P.’s Prayagraj
The house was illegally constructed in violation of set norms on government land, said a senior Prayagraj Development Authority official
The Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) razed the house and four shops of Gulam Hasan, an accused in the Umesh Pal murder case, in Rasoolabad locality under Shivkuti police station limits of Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district on Monday. The PDA officials claimed the house and the shops were illegally constructed. The estimated cost of the house and the shop was around ₹1.30 crore.
A PDA team accompanied by a heavy police force reached Rasoolabad around noon and vacated Gulam’s house. The four shops located in front portion of the house were also vacated before the demolition started at around 12 noon and lasted around 2 hours. Gulam’s kin claimed that the house was in the name of his father Masoodul.
“The house and the shops were illegally constructed in violation of set norms on government land and were therefore demolished. A notice was also issued as per norms and all the laid down process has been followed,” said a senior PDA official.
Umesh Pal, a prime witness in the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case, and his police guards Sandeep Nishad and Raghvendra Singh were shot outside Pal’s home in Dhoomanganj area of Prayagraj on February 24. While Umesh Pal and Sandeep Nishad had died the same day, Raghvendra who was shifted to SGPGIMS, Lucknow, succumbed to his injuries on March 1.
Gulam is among the five accused on whom the Uttar Pradesh Police have announced a cash reward of ₹5 lakh. The other four accused are former MP Atiq Ahmad’s son Asad, Arman, Guddu and Sabir.
On the basis of the complaint lodged by Umesh Pal’s wife Jaya Pal, a case was registered at Dhoomanganj police station against Atiq Ahmad, his brother Ashraf, wife Shaista Parveen, their three sons (including Asad), aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam besides nine others.
They were booked under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Explosive Substances Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act, police said.
On March 1, the PDA had demolished a house owned by one Zafar Ahmad Khan in Chakia where Atiq’s absconding wife had allegedly been living on rent following the razing of Atiq Ahmad’s own house, also in Chakia locality, in September 2020.
On March 2, the PDA demolished the house of gun house owner Safdar Ali in Kalindipuram area. It was alleged that Safdar used to supply firearms and ammunition to Atiq and his gang members.
On March 3, the PDA officials pulled down the house of Atiq’s alleged financer Mashookuddin in Puramufti area. The same day, absconding shooter in Raju Pal murder case, Abdul Kavi’s house was demolished during a search operation at Bhakhanda village in Saraiakil of Kaushambi district.
Meanwhile, Gulam’s brother Rahil Hasan said the family will not claim Gulam’s body if he is killed in encounter with police. Rahil also confirmed that the shooter wearing a cap seen in the CCTV footage of the site of the crime was his brother Gulam.
