Mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad, who was shot dead last week at point-blank range, had reportedly grabbed acres of land of former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's kin in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj when the slain gangster was a member of parliament (MP) of the Samajwadi Party and the party was in power in the state.
The incident happened back in 2007 when Atiq, then an MP from Phulpur, forcefully occupied the property of Veera Gandhi located in the Civil Lines area of Prayagraj with the help of his henchmen, The Times of India reported.
When Veera Gandhi, who belongs to the family of Sonia Gandhi's father-in-law Feroz Gandhi, came to know about it, she appealed to the state government and district administration to take action, but nothing was done, India Today reported.
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She then sought Sonia Gandhi's help, who was heading the Congress-led UPA in the Centre. The intervention of Sonia Gandhi saved the property, and Atiq had to reportedly return the keys to the owner.
Rita Bahuguna Joshi, the then Uttar Pradesh Congress chief, confirmed to TOI that Sonia Gandhi asked her to intervene in the matter. “I called the district administration and consequently Atiq pulled back in that case," she said.
{{/usCountry}}Rita Bahuguna Joshi, the then Uttar Pradesh Congress chief, confirmed to TOI that Sonia Gandhi asked her to intervene in the matter. “I called the district administration and consequently Atiq pulled back in that case," she said.
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"Atiq wanted to occupy the land as it was located behind Palace Talkies. He tried this as an experiment. If he had successfully occupied the land, then he would have captured other lands owned by Veera Gandhi's family as well," India Today quoted former inspector general (IG) Lalji Shukla, who was at loggerheads with Atiq and his henchmen, as saying.
Atiq was accused in more than 100 criminal cases, including the Umesh Pal murder case, a key witness in the murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal. Ahmad (60) and his brother Ashraf were shot dead by three men posing as journalists while police personnel were escorting the two brothers to a hospital in Prayagraj for a check-up.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Police are on the hunt for slain gangster Atiq's wife Shaista Parveen. Parveen has also been named in the sensational killings of lawyer Umesh Pal among others. She has been on the run and a reward of ₹50,000 has been announced on her arrest.