Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav raise questions on Assad encounter

Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Thursday questioned the functioning of the Uttar Pradesh Police after over the encounter of Assad and Ghulam, accused in the Umesh Pal murder case, in a police encounter in Jhansi.

BSP supremo Mayawati compared the killing of Asad and Ghulam in an encounter with the Vikas Dubey incident in Kanpur two years ago and demanded a high-level probe into the matter, whereas SP president Akhilesh Yadav called it a false encounter and said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is against brotherhood.

Mayawati tweeted "Heated discussions are being held on the killing of the son of Atique Ahmed of Prayagraj and another person in a police encounter today. People feel that their apprehension of a repeat of the Vikas Dubey incident has come true. Therefore, a high-level investigation is necessary so that the entire facts and truth of the incident could be revealed to the public."

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प्रयागराज के अतीक अहमद के बेटे व एक अन्य की आज पुलिस मुठभेड़ में हुई हत्या पर अनेकों प्रकार की चर्चायें गर्म हैं। लोगों को लगता है कि विकास दुबे काण्ड के दोहराए जाने की उनकी आशंका सच साबित हुई है। अतः घटना के पूरे तथ्य व सच्चाई जनता के सामने आ सके इसके लिए उच्च-स्तरीय जाँच जरूरी।

— Mayawati (@Mayawati) April 13, 2023 >

Akhilesh tweeted, "The BJP government is trying to divert attention from the real issues through fake encounters. The BJP does not believe in the court at all. Today's and recent encounters should also be thoroughly investigated and the culprits should not be spared. Power does not have the right to decide what is right or wrong. BJP is against brotherhood."

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झूठे एनकाउंटर करके भाजपा सरकार सच्चे मुद्दों से ध्यान भटकाना चाह रही है। भाजपाई न्यायालय में विश्वास ही नहीं करते हैं। आजके व हालिया एनकाउंटरों की भी गहन जाँच-पड़ताल हो व दोषियों को छोड़ा न जाए। सही-गलत के फ़ैसलों का अधिकार सत्ता का नहीं होता है।

भाजपा भाईचारे के ख़िलाफ़ है।

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) April 13, 2023 >

On the other hand, Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Keshav Prasad Maurya praised the STF and said that this was the fate of the killers of Umesh Pal and the police personnel.
"Congratulations to UP STF, the same fate was to befall the killers of Shri Umesh Pal Advocate and police personnel." he tweeted.

It may be noted that Assad, son of mafia-turned-politician Atique Ahmed, and his fellow shooter Ghulam, both accused in the Umesh Pal murder case, were killed in an encounter with the Special Task Force (STF) in Bada Gaon area of Jhansi on Thursday afternoon.

Umesh Pal, the main witness in Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal murder case, was killed on February 24 last in Dhoomanganj area in Prayagraj while he was alighting from a car outside his house. Two of his security personnel were also martyred in this incident. (UNI)