In a massive development, another encounter broke out in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj area in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case.
The accused named Vijay Kumar alias Usman Chowdhary was killed early morning on Monday in an encounter with UP Police. He was the one who allegedly opened the first shot at Umesh Pal and the constable. A crime branch encounter took place in the Kaundhiyara police station area, said Ramit Sharma, Commissioner of Police, Prayagraj. He is reported to have been killed. It is being told that his name was Vijay alias Usman. There was a prize of Rs 50,000 on him . Police say that the injured have been sent to Swaroop Rani Hospital.
This comes in connection with the murder of Umesh Pal and one of his armed security escorts in the broad daylight of February 24 while they were returning home from court. Umesh was a key witness in the murder of former BSP leader Raju Pal and had an old rivalry with former SP MLA Ateeq Ahmad. The names of Ahmad, his wife, son, and their associates have been mentioned in the FIR in connection with the murder.
A case was registered at Dhoomanganj police station on the complaint by Pal’s wife against gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, his wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu and Gulam and nine others.
They have been booked under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Explosive Substances Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act, police said.
On March 1, the Prayagraj Police initiated the bulldozer action against the close aides of the accused Ateeq Ahmad and other gang members. The action is being conducted to demolish the houses of murder case accused gang members in presence of Prayagraj police and Rapid Action Force. Teliyarganj, Chakia, Dhumanganj, Salemsarai, Harwara, Jayantipur, Sadiapur, Mindera, Jhalwa and Atala are the areas in Prayagraj where the properties were razed down.
This comes after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath vowed to destroy the mafias after the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) had doubted the law and order situation in the state in the wake of the killing.
On February 27, Arbaz, who allegedly drove the SUV of the assailants, was killed in an encounter with the police in Prayagraj.
