E-Paper
Witness to encounter of Atiq’s henchman assaulted
It is alleged that Niraj Shukla was returning home on Tuesday night when Rakesh and his aides tried to intercept his SUV and opened fire on him.
PRAYAGRAJ A witness to the encounter of Vijay Chaudhary, who was the henchman of the slain mafia-politician Atiq Ahmed, was assaulted in Prayagrah late on Tuesday night. It is alleged that Vijay’s brother Rakesh Chaudhary opened fire on Niraj Shukla, a trader who witnessed Vijay’s encounter. Rakesh also allegedly tried to rob Shukla but sustained injuries in the process as he was hit by Shukla’s SUV.
Currently, Rakesh is undergoing treatment at the SRN Hospital, police said. Significantly, his brother Vijay Chaudhary was one of the accused in the sensational murder of lawyer Umesh Pal and his two security personnel on February 24. In the viral CCTV footage, Vijay was seen firing the first shot at Umesh Pal.
On March 6, Vijay was killed in an encounter with the police team near his native village in the Kaundhiyara area of the trans-Yamuna area. After the incident, police made Niraj Shukla a witness in the alleged encounter with Vijay Chaudhary. Vijay’s brother Rakesh Chaudhary also had multiple criminal cases registered against him.
It is alleged that Niraj Shukla was returning home on Tuesday night when Rakesh and his aides tried to intercept his SUV and opened fire on him.
ACP (Kaundhiyara) Rajiv Yadav said investigations are being carried out into the allegations. Rakesh is released on bail some time back. It is alleged that he was trying to intercept the SUV of the witness when he received injuries in the attempt. Action will be taken following investigations, he added.
