The epic national drama that Atiq Ahmed’s transfer from Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail to Naini jail in UP’s Prayagraj has been the stuff Bollywood potboilers are made of. A dreaded gangster-cum-politician, Police of two states, family drama on whether the criminal member would make it alive and or die in a Police encounter – there was enough masala and plot twists to keep everyone watching on the edge.
Add to it the uncanny similarity the whole event had with that of Vikas Dubey’s car flipping in 2020. In a throwback to Kanpur gangster Vikas Dubey’s car flip that eventually led to his encounter, with UP Police foiling his bid to escape, Atiq’s cavalcade too had a collision with a cattle, leading to a minor hiccup. The cow died, but the don survived with his heart in mouth.
In 2020, while reporting the circumstances under which the encounter unfolded, the UP police in its statement said that the worn out driver of the vehicle, carrying Dubey, in his attempt to save a herd of cows and buffaloes that suddenly came running across, led to its overturning. The statement adds that several policemen sitting inside the vehicle were temporarily knocked unconscious due to the impact, giving Dubey the opportunity to snatch a cop’s service revolver and jump out of the vehicle before attempting to escape.
Similarly, when Atiq Ahmed’s convoy was passing through Shivpuri district, a cow collided with the Police van carrying him. The accident led to the death of the cow.
Atiq Ahmed was brought to Prayagraj by a 45-member police team.
Ahmed will be produced in court in Prayagraj, where he will be sentenced for his involvement in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case. The court is scheduled to pass an order on March 28.
Gujarat police had made an elaborate arrangement to bring the former Samajwadi Party MLA, who has been lodged at Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati jail since June 2019 following a Supreme Court order in April 2019.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ganganagar, Abhishek Bharti, led a team of 45 police personnel who have been tasked with bringing Atiq home safely.
The convoy, which covered approximately a distance of 1274.9 kilometres by road, included six vehicles, including two Vajra vehicles and three four-wheelers.
While the UP police were completing the formalities, Atiq Ahmed refused to travel with the UP police. He requested to be sentenced via video conference. He cited once again that he fears for his life. He said that he fears that he will be eliminated either by a staged accident or an encounter.
Ahmed, a man with a chequered past, was allegedly involved in the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal, who was shot dead in 2005.
Most recently, Ahmed’s henchmen were also involved in the daylight murder of a key witness in the Raju Pal murder case, Umesh Pal. He was gunned down outside his residence in Prayagraj on February 24 of this year.
Earlier this month, Ahmed moved to the Supreme Court for protection. Ahmed claimed that he and his family have been falsely implicated in the Umesh Pal murder case. He also said that he fears that he may be killed in a fake encounter.
Once an all-powerful figure, Ahmed’s incarceration showcased the CM Yogi Adityanath’s commitment to a crime-free Uttar Pradesh.