Atiq Ahmad’s words finally proved true after 19 years on April 15 when he was shot dead in Prayagraj.
“Encounter hoga. Ya police maari, ya koi apni baradari ka sirfira. Sadak ke kinare pade milab” (I will be killed in an encounter by either police or someone from the criminals’ tribe) – he had told reporters way back in 2004.
During his trip from Sabarmati jail to Prayagraj earlier this month, Atiq Ahmad had told media persons that he was ‘safe’ only because they were accompanying his convoy.
When he was shot dead on Saturday, it was, ironically, by assailants posing as journalists.
Atiq was always aware of the fact that he would meet a bloody end one day.
“Sab ko pata hota hai anjaam kya hona hai. Kab tak taala ja sakta hai, yeh sab (contesting election) iski hi jaddojahad hai (We all know, as criminals, what will be our fate. Every day is a struggle to escape this ordeal, and delay the inevitable),” he had said.
Once, when reminded that he was contesting election from a Phulpur parliamentary seat, which was once represented by India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, Atiq had replied, “Pandit ji ki tarah hum Naini jail me bhi rahe hain. Woh kitab likhe wahan, hume apni history sheet ki wajah se jana pada tha (Like Nehru, I have also been to Naini jail. He wrote books there; I went because of my history-sheet).”
He also admitted that he had a strong premonition about death. — IANS
From Mr. Mashal in The New York Times:
Mr. Ahmed’s notorious career had won him many enemies. While his straddling of politics and crime was not unique in Uttar Pradesh or India, his record appears particularly gruesome.
Over four decades firming his grip over a neighborhood of Prayagraj city, formerly known as Allahabad, he amassed more than 100 pending court cases against him, as his lawyer confirmed. Charges included kidnapping, murder and extortion.
What gave Mr. Ahmed protection was that he turned his criminal reach into political leverage: As his gang struck fear, he managed to win elections five times as a local assembly member and once as a member of Parliament, using his political influence — as well as the patronage of the parties previously in power in Uttar Pradesh that courted Muslim votes — to stay ahead of the law.
That became harder after Mr. Ahmed got to Parliament in 2004. To keep Mr. Ahmed’s old local assembly seat within the family, his brother ran for the office — and lost a close race to a man named Raju Pal. Soon after, Mr. Pal was killed, with Mr. Pal’s family pointing blame at Mr. Ahmed.
As the murder case wound on, Mr. Ahmed’s political fortunes waned. He lost his Parliament seat and early this year was convicted of kidnapping the main witness in Mr. Pal’s murder case and pressuring him to change his testimony.
Then, in February, that witness, Umesh Pal, was shot dead, along with his two police guards. The state promised a firm crackdown; the “encounters” targeting Mr. Ahmed’s son and associates soon followed.
Readers of MM may be interested in the full story.
Its part of RSS agenda to eliminate all prominent Muslim leaders somehow. Atiq was a 5 time MLA, and an ex MP so his case was a high profile one then what made RSS to kill him in such brutal way like they killed Gandhi ji till Gujarat HM Haren Pandya continue recent UP murders?