Atiq Ahmed’s wife demands CBI probe into killing of key witness in BSP MLA Raju Pal’s murder

Mafia politician Atiq Ahmed's wife Shaista Parveen on Monday wrote to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath seeking a CBI probe into the murder of Umesh Pal, the main witness to the murder of then BSP MLA Raju Pal in 2005. She and her family members are accused of killing the witness.

Umesh Pal and his police constable Sandeep Nishad were shot dead outside his house in Dhoomanganj area of Prayagraj last Friday. Another policeman was injured in this attack. Atiq Ahmed is the prime accused in the BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case and is currently lodged in a Gujarat jail.

In a letter to Chief Minister Shaista Parveen, he said, “Friday's incident is extremely sad and condemnable. The FIR was filed by Umesh Pal's wife naming nine people including my husband Atiq Ahmed, my brother-in-law Khalid Azim alias Ashraf, me and my sons and nine unknown people. “In this FIR, my husband, brother-in-law and sons were accused of conspiracy and based on the CCTV footage, my son Ali was named as the shooter. This allegation is completely baseless,” she said in the letter.

“The truth is that ever since the BSP declared me as the mayoral candidate from Prayagraj, local leaders and cabinet ministers in your government have conspired against us to retain the post of mayor. A person was killed in this conspiracy, which naturally fell on my husband. She further claimed, "Umesh Pal was not a witness in the Raju Pal murder case, but he was a party to the abduction case registered at Dhoomanganj police station, in which his testimony was already recorded in court on August 16 and 17, 2016."

“Since the Prayagraj police are working under the pressure of your minister, under a conspiracy on the pretext of arresting them, they may call my husband and brother-in-law from jail and kill them on the way,” Praveen feared.

In the letter, Parveen demands that the case filed regarding Umesh Pal's murder be investigated by the CBI. A copy of the letter was also shared on various social media platforms.

The Uttar Pradesh police on Monday said they have shot dead the accused in the February 24 killing of key witness Umesh Pal. The police claimed that they were retaliating when the accused opened fire on them.