Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Lucknow: The judicial commission formed to investigate the murder of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in police custody ruled out the possibility of "pre-planned conspiracy" or "police negligence".
The commission's report was tabled in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on the last day of the monsoon session on Thursday.
Chaired by Allahabad High Court Judge (retired) Arvind Kumar Tripathi, the five members commission under Justice Dilip B Bhosale was tasked to probe the murder of Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf on April 15, 2023.
The commission in its report concluded, "The incident of 15th April, 2023 in which accused Atiq Ahmed and his brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf, who were on police custody remand in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case under Police Station Shahganj, Prayagraj, were shot dead by three unknown assailants, cannot be said to be the result of a pre-planned conspiracy executed by the State Police." The commission also gave a clean chit to the police.
"The incident of 15 April, 2023 in which accused Atiq Ahmed and his brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf were killed by unknown assailants, was not the result of police negligence nor was it possible for them to avoid the incident." Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf, who were already lodged in Gujarat's Sabarmati Jail and Bareilly district jail respectively were brought to Prayagraj by the police in connection with the murder of Umesh Pal, a witness to the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal.
Umesh Pal was shot dead outside his home in February 2023.