Umesh Pal, the prime witness in the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case, was shot dead by an unidentified man in Prayagraj on Friday.
Umesh Pal was taken to a local hospital, where he died during treatment (Photo: Screengrab)
By India Today News Desk: Umesh Pal, the prime witness in the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case, was shot dead on Friday evening at his residence in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, police said. Raju Pal was murdered months after winning the Allahabad (West) assembly seat in his electoral debut by defeating Former MP Atiq Ahmed’s younger brother Khalid Azim.
Atiq Ahmed, his brother and ex-MLA Ashraf are prime accused in the Raju Pal murder case. All the accused are presently lodged in jail.
Umesh Pal was shot dead by an unidentified man while he was getting out of the backseat of a Hyundai Creta SUV in Prayagraj. CCTV footage shows Umesh Pal and one of his two police bodyguards getting out of the SUV when suddenly a man came from behind and shot him.
Police, who scanned the CCTV footage, said the assailants came on a car and a bike. According to police, the attackers were continuously chasing Umesh Pal’s car and came with crude bombs in their bags. In one of the video clips, one of the accused was seen taking out a bomb from his bag and hurling it at Umesh Pal.
Police said some other men used crude bombs during the assault, which exploded in a cloud of smoke, leading to panic and chaos. Umesh was rushed to Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital where he succumbed during treatment.
FIR LODGED
Prayagraj police has filed an FIR against Atiq’s brother, wife Sahista Praveen and his sons Ahzaan and Abaan and arrested 14 people in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case. A total of 14 suspects, including Atiq Ahmed’s sons, have been held for questioning.
Prayagraj Police Commissioner Ramit Sharma told news agency PTI that Umesh Pal was attacked with crude bombs and shot outside his house this evening. Two of his gunners too were injured in the attack. Both gunners were deployed in Pal’s security by the government.
The condition of one of the bodyguards is critical and he has been put on a ventilator, while doctors are performing surgery on the other, the police said.
“The incident happened right outside Umesh Pal’s home. So far it has been confirmed that two bombs were thrown and he was fired at by a small firearm,” Prayagraj police chief Ramit Sharma told reporters.
Following the murder, Umesh Pal’s wife Jaya Pal approached Prayagraj police and filed an FIR. A case under relevant sections of the IPC and Explosives Act was registered at the Dhoomanganj Police Station on the complaint of the family members of the victim.
A total of ten teams led by Joint CP of Prayagraj have been formed to nab the accused in the case.
Meanwhile, UP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak said, “STF is looking into the matter. We will nab all the accused. We will take the matter to fast track court. We will give strict punishment to the accused.”
(With inputs from Santosh Sharma and PTI)
