New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party has welcomed Prayagraj MP-MLA court's order finding gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and others guilty in the 2005 Umesh Pal kidnapping case. Speaking to ABP News Basti BJP MLA Harish Dwivedi said "there is hope for justice now" adding CM Yogi is "engaged in establishing rule of law" in Uttar Pradesh.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP also said "there is rule of law in Uttar Pradesh" and that "the culprits will not be spared, no matter who they are."
Atiq Ahmad, his brother Ashraf, and eight others were held guilty by the court in the case.
The former Samajwadi Party MLA was brought to Prayagraj's Naini Jail from Ahmedabad's Sabarmati jail last night while Ashraf was brought to the city from Bareilly prison.
Atiq is an accused in the 2005 murder case of BSP MLA Raju Pal. Umesh Pal, who was a prime witness in the Raju Pal murder case was shot dead in Prayagraj on February 24 this year.
He was also the main accused in the killing of Umesh Pal.
Atiq Ahmed is a gangster-turned-politician who was an Allahabad West MLA from 1989-2004. He also served as a Lok Sabha MP from the Phulpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh between 2004 and 2009.
Born on August 10, 1962, Atiq Ahmed is named in over 100 cases. His brother Ashraf has 52 cases, wife Shaista Praveen has three, and sons Ali and Umar Ahmad have four and one cases, respectively, against them.
In Umesh Pal's abduction case, for which the court found Atiq guilty today, the latter had allegedly abducted Umesh Pal from a Land Cruiser vehicle near Phansi Imli of the Dhumanganj police station area. Keeping him in his Chakia office, he was beaten up and electrocuted.
Atiq had made Umesh Pal give a written statement in his favor on March 1, 2006, that he was not present at the scene and did not want to testify. Umesh Pal filed a case of kidnapping in Dhumanganj police station in July 2007 after the formation of the BSP government in Uttar Pradesh in 2007.