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Umesh Pal murder: Killers met Atiq Ahmad's brother in jail 12 days before attack, video viral
The footage supports police claims that the murder of lawyer Umesh Pal was planned with the help of Ashraf, who was lodged in Bareilly jail at the time.
Just 12 days before the daylight killing of lawyer Umesh Pal in Prayagraj on February 24, his assailants met Khalid Azeem (alias Ashraf), the brother of mafia-turned politician Atiq Ahmed, in Bareilly jail. 1
The CCTV footage of the assailants -- including Atiq’s son Asad and others -- entering the prison on February 12 has now gone viral on social media platforms. The footage supports police claims the murder of lawyer Umesh Pal was planned with the help of Ashraf, who was lodged in Bareilly jail at the time.
In the CCTV footage, Guddu Muslim (alias Guddu Bambaz), Asad, Armaan, Sadaqat, Usman, and Ghulam Hasan can be seen entering the jail.
While Asad, Usman, and Ghulam Hasan have been killed in police encounters, Armaan, Sadaqat, and Guddu Muslim remain at large.
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Meanwhile, Atiq and his brother Ashraf were shot dead from close range on April 15 by three shooters on live TV in Prayagraj.
To recall, lawyer Umesh Pal, a key witness of the 2005 BSP MLA Umesh Pal murder, and his two police guards were gunned down near in Sulem Sarai area of Prayagraj on February 24.
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Based on Umesh Pal’s wife Jaya’s complaint, an FIR was registered at Dhumanganj police station in connection with the triple murder against Atiq Ahmed, his younger brother Ashraf, wife Shaista Parveen (absconding), son Asad, and aide Ghulam Hasan (killed in an encounter with the U.P. STF team in Jhansi on April 13), wife Shaista Praveen and aides including Arbaaz (killed in police encounter on February 27), Guddu Muslim, Vijay Chaudhary aka Usman (killed in police encounter on March 6), Armaan, and Sabir, among others.
As per the probe conducted by U.P. STF, the Aadhaar card of Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad was found along with the computerised slip that is issued in the jail for a visitor to meet an inmate.
About seven-to eight-people had come to the jail at 1.22 pm on February 12. They came out at 3.14 pm after spending around two hours in jail. Interestingly, during the probe, this clipping was found missing from the Bareilly jail database.
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However, the SIT managed to procure this video from the server of U.P. jails headquarters in Lucknow.
Earlier, between September 26, 2021, and June 26, 2022, nine appointments were made through computerised slips while the remaining 23 appointments to meet Ashraf were made manually on 14 application forms at Bareilly jail.
The names, addresses, and identity cards of only a handful of people were submitted for these meetings in violation of the norms. After an investigation of these laxities and on the basis of the report of U.P. STF and DIG (jail) of Bareilly Range, RN Pandey, seven jail officials and staff -- including the senior superintendent of jail, Rajeev Shukla -- were suspended.
On April 4, Rajeev Shukla was suspended while jailer Rajeev Kumar Mishra, deputy jailer Durgesh Pratap Singh, head jail warder Brijveer Singh, and jail warders Manoj Gaur, Danish Mehndi and Dalpat Singh got suspended on March 13. Later, Gaur was arrested as well for ‘aiding and abetting’.
