Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed on Wednesday denied his involvement in the murder of lawyer Umesh Pal while he was being taken from Ahmedabad's Sabarmati jail to Prayagraj by a team of Uttar Pradesh Police.
Read here: ‘They want to kill me’: Gangster Atiq Ahmad on being taken to UP again
“My family has been ruined...I was in jail what will I know about it (Umesh Pal murder case),” Ahmed said to the reporters in Rajasthan's Bundi, where the convoy halted, reported news agency ANI. Ahmad is being taken to Prayagraj in connection with questioning in the Umesh Pal murder case and will be produced in the court on Wednesday. The Prayagraj court has issued a B warrant in the case.
He further said that he is still alive because of the media. “It's because of you (the media) that I am safe”.
{{/usCountry}}He further said that he is still alive because of the media. “It's because of you (the media) that I am safe”.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, the don-turned-politician was brought to Prayagraj from Gujarat on March 28 amid tight security where he was produced before an MP/MLA court. Ahmad along with two others accused were sentenced to life imprisonment in the kidnapping of lawyer Umesh Pal. He and the other convicts were also ordered to pay ₹1 lakh compensation to the victim's family.
Meanwhile, the family of slain Umesh Pal have expressed their gratitude to the administration for their action against Ahmad.
Demanding that Ahmed should not be spared, Jaya Pal, wife of the victim said, “I want to thank the administration for the proceedings. I demand that the way Atiq Ahmed killed my husband, he should be killed as well. He must not be spared.”
Umesh Pal, the witness in the 2005 killing of Bahujan Samaj Party lawmaker Raju Pal, was shot dead along with his two security guards in Prayagraj on February 24.
Read here: ‘He mustn't be spared' : Umesh Pal's family on Atiq being taken to UP
In 2006, Ahmad and his aides allegedly abducted Umesh Pal and forced him to give a statement in court in their favour. The lawyer had registered a complaint in this regard. According to reports, Ahmad has been named in more than 100 criminal cases, including the lawyer's murder.
Earlier, Ahmad had moved the top court for protection, claiming he and his family members have been falsely implicated in the murder case and he might be killed in a fake encounter by the UP Police.
(With inputs from ANI)