The notorious mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were fatally shot on Saturday in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh while being transported for a court-mandated medical check-up during their five-day police remand.
He was accused of murder when he was just 17. After climbing up the crime charts, he went on to become the MP of the Lok Sabha constituency — Phulpur– that India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, represented.
Atiq Ahmed had more than 100 cases, including those of extortion, kidnapping and murder, lodged against him over four decades.
Though Atiq Ahmed shot to limelight after Umesh Pal, a witness in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal, was murdered on February 24, 2022, his shadow of crime over Uttar Pradesh was much bigger.
Atiq, for nearly four decades, had an unchallenged run as he straddled the world of crime and politics. He was born in a poor family and his journey into the world of crime began when he was very young.
Known for framing his opponents in false cases, his ancestral village remembered him as ruthless who bribed witnesses, threatened them and always escaped the law.
Atiq Ahmed’s personal life
Atiq Ahmad, originally from Shravasti in Uttar Pradesh, was born in 1962. He was married to Shaista Praveen, who is currently on the run. Atiq and Shaista had five sons named Ali, Umar, Ahmad, Asad, Ahzaan, and Abaan. Tragically, Asad was reportedly killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh police in Jhansi on Friday.
Khalid Azim, who was also known as Ashraf, and happened to be Atiq’s brother, had previously served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA).
Atiq Ahmed’s political journey
Atiq Ahmad had a prolific political career, having served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Uttar Pradesh for five terms and also as a former Member of Parliament (MP).
He entered politics in 1989 as an independent candidate and won the Allahabad (now Prayagraj) West MLA seat. He continued to retain the seat in the following two legislative assembly elections. In 1996, Atiq Ahmad won his fourth consecutive term, this time as a member of the Samajwadi Party.
After three years, Atiq Ahmad departed from the Samajwadi Party (SP) and assumed the presidency of Apna Dal (Kamerawadi). He went on to secure victory in the 2002 assembly election.
However, the following year, he returned to the SP. Subsequently, Atiq Ahmad was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Phulpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh for the 14th Lok Sabha, serving from 2004 to 2009. It’s worth mentioning that Phulpur had previously been held by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Atiq Ahmed’s criminal history
Atiq Ahmad has a long history of criminal involvement, with 101 reported criminal incidents involving him in the past four decades in the state. Police records indicate that the first murder case against him was filed as far back as 1979. He has been implicated in various crimes such as murders, attempted murders, kidnappings, fraud, threats, and land grabs.
Atiq Ahmad was also alleged to be involved in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal. The incident took place when Pal challenged Atiq’s influence and emerged victorious in the election against Atiq’s younger brother Khalid Azeem. Pal was shot and killed just three months after defeating Atiq’s brother in the Allahabad (West) assembly seat.
Atiq Ahmad, who transitioned from being a gangster to a politician, was also charged with kidnapping Umesh Pal, the key witness in the murder case of Raju Pal. Umesh Pal was allegedly coerced by Atiq Ahmad to provide a statement denying his presence during Raju Pal’s murder and expressing unwillingness to testify. As a result, Atiq Ahmad was sentenced to life imprisonment for the abduction that occurred in 2006.
Signs of Atiq Ahmad’s eventual downfall emerged in 2016 when his associates were alleged to have assaulted college staff in Prayagraj for taking action against cheating students. He was subsequently detained in 2017 and later shifted out of the state in 2018.
THE DOWNFALL
The Umesh Pal murder case was the final nail in the coffin for Atiq Ahmed. Ahmed’s name along with the names of his sons and wife surfaced in the Umesh Pal murder case in February this year.
This also led to a furore in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused the Samajwadi Party of promoting criminals during its rule. The chief minister sounded a warning, saying, “Iss House mein keh raha hoon. Iss mafia ko mitti me mila denge.”
Umesh Pal’s wife Jaya alleged that in 2006 Ahmed and his associates kidnapped her husband and forced him to give a statement in their favour in court. He was brought to Prayagraj from Sabarmati jail to be presented in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case amid tight police security.
He even moved the Supreme Court seeking protection, claiming that he has been “roped in” as an accused in the Umesh Pal murder case and fears a threat to his life.
While being shifted to UP jail, he expressed fear that he might be murdered. “Hatya, hatya (murder, murder). Mujhe inka programme maloom hai…Hatya karna chahte hain (I know their programme…They want to murder me),” Ahmed had told reporters outside the jail.
On March 28, an MP/MLA court in Uttar Pradesh pronounced criminal-politician Atiq Ahmed (61) and two other accused guilty in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Time and again, Atiq expressed that he would be killed in a “fake” encounter.
‘BILKUL MITTI ME MIL GAYE HAIN’
On April 13, while he was being taken to Prayagraj for questioning in the Umesh Pal murder case, Atiq Ahmed, while responding to media persons, said, “Hum government se kehna chahte hain, bulkul mitti me mil gaye hain ab hamari auraoton aur bachchon ko pareshan na karein (I have been reduced to dust. Please don’t harass our women and children.”
The same day, Atiq’s son, Asad, and an aide, Ghulam, were shot dead in an encounter in Jhansi. Atiq Ahmed sought permission to attend Asad’s funeral but it was not granted.
A helpless and inconsolable Atiq held himself responsible for Asad’s death and said, “Asad had nothing to do with any of it. No one can take responsibility for my young sons and brothers.” (sic).
Moments before he was shot dead in Prayagraj, Atiq said, “Nahi le gaye to nahi gaye (they did not take us, so we did not go)”. Those were Atiq Ahmed’s last words when asked what he had to say on not being taken to his son Asad’s funeral.
