NB Explains | Why so much of pity for Atiq Ahmed despite being a notorious gangster-murderer?

Atiq Ahmed, the notorious gangster, five-time MLA, and once an MP from Uttar Pradesh was shot dead on live TV along with his brother Ashraf by a gang of three assassins on Saturday night. The incident took place when Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were being taken for a mandatory medical checkup in the Prayagraj district of the state.

 

When Ahmed and his brother stepped out of the police car and start addressing the media, three assassins, posing as reporters, took everyone by surprise and pumped bullets into his head from a point-blank range. Before the police could react, several rounds of bullets were fired and both of them were declared dead on spot. The assassins identified as Lavlesh Tiwari, Arun Maurya and Sunny threw their weapons and were instantly captured by the police.

 

The killing of Ahmed has divided the public. While some argue that the gangster deserved it for his several crimes, others say it should not happen in India as it is one of the biggest democracies in the world.

 

Whatever the so-called liberals, intellectuals, or leftists, he has paid for the sins he made who had more than 100 cases lodged against him met. But who was Atiq Ahmed and why did the authorities remain silent against him all these years? Why is he being glorified despite being a gangster?

 

 

102 cases were filed against Atiq Ahmed, including those of threats, murder attempts, and kidnapping. The gangster act was brought against him a total of three times. Even while incarcerated in different jails in Uttar Pradesh, he held meetings and ran his criminal empire. The initial complaint was filed against him in 1979. A total of 54 cases have been heard so far at UP police stations.

 

 

Ahmed first entered to the crime world of Prayagraj (Allahabad as it was known back then) when he was accused of murder at the age of 17 in 1979. During his early years of crime, worked with several gang leaders and one of them was Chand Baba, one of the most dreaded gangsters in Prayagraj. In 1983, the first FIR was registered against him and it was his formal entry into the criminal world.

 

Futher, he first contested the assembly elections from the Allahabad West seat in 1989 and emerged victorious. He went on to win the MLA election for five consecutive times, switching parties twice in between. Allahabad West constituency remained his family stronghold for long.

 

Having tasted power as an MLA, Ahmed took a step ahead and contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 after Samajwadi Party gave him a ticket. He fought from Phulpur and secured access to the parliament and became a member of the 14th Lok Sabha. Phulpur was the same seat from where first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru won the general elections three times.

 

When Ahmed came to know about how he contested from the same seat as Nehru, he had this to say, "Pandit ji ki tarah hum Naini Jail me bhi rahe hain. Woh kitab likhe wahan, humein apni history-sheet ki wajah se jana pada tha (I have also stayed in Naini jail, like Nehru. There, he penned books and I went because of my history-sheet)."

 

The seat he vacated was won by BSP’s Raju Pal, an OBC candidate, pitched by BSP, managed to defeat Atiq’s brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf in the 2004 bypoll against all expectations. To settle scores, Atiq launched several deadly attacks on Pal before eventually brutally murdering him in the Dhoomanganj area of the city on January 25, 2005.

 

On the basis of a complaint filed by Raju Pal’s wife Pooja Pal, the police booked Atiq along with others in the case. As the murder necessitated another bypoll, Ashraf this time won the Allahabad West seat, defeating Raju’s wife Pooja Pal. After a lot of political pressure, Atiq surrendered in 2008 and was subsequently expelled from the Samajwadi Party the same year.

 

BSP leader Mayawati refused to give him a party ticket, saying "(Raju) Pal was very dear to us” and they could not allot a ticket to Atiq who was charged with his killing, as quoted by an IANS report in 2009. Atiq was, however, allowed to contest the 2009 parliamentary polls from jail since he had not yet been convicted in any case. He was released from jail in 2012.

 

On December 14, 2016, Atiq and his henchmen were accused of assaulting the staff members of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, reportedly because they had stopped two students from appearing in the examinations since they were caught cheating. A purported video of Atiq beating the staff was widely circulated on social media. Early next year, the Allahabad High Court asked the Allahabad police to arrest all the accused in the case.

 

Atiq was arrested on February 11, 2017 after which he was remanded to 14-day judicial custody. In 2019, despite being imprisoned, Atiq Ahmed contested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in 2019 and could only get 855 votes.

 

On February 24, 2022, Umesh Pal, the prime witness in the Raju Pal murder, was attacked and killed along with his police guard who were shot dead in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. The police registered an FIR against Atiq Ahmed, his wife Sahista Parveen, their two sons, his brother Ashraf, and others on February 25.

 

On April 13, Asad Ahmed, the son of gangster Atiq Ahmed, was slain in an encounter by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in Jhansi. Asad and his associate Ghulam were both wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj. Each of them was carrying a reward of Rs. 5 lakhs. According to the authorities, foreign-made weapons were found in the accused’s possession.

 

Just because he was shot dead on live TV by three assassins, who were arrested immediately, his involvement in so many criminal activities should not be forgotten or glorified. If questions are to be raised, it should be about why it took so long for the UP police and the government to take appropriate action against him in this democratic nation.