"If someone takes law in their hands, there is punishment," says wife of slain Raju Pal on Asad, Ghulam encounter

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 15 : Regarding the encounter of gangster Asad Ahmad and his aide Ghulam, Puja Pal, wife of slain Bahujan Samaj Party legislator Raju Pal on Friday said that there is a punishment for those who take law in their hands.

"Government and administration are meting out punishment for criminals...If someone takes the law in their hands, there is punishment," Puja Pal, a Samajwadi Party MLA, said.

Raju Pal was killed in 2005 and a key witness in that murder case, Umesh Pal, was killed on February 24, this year. Both Asad and Ghulam were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case.

Notably, Asad and Ghulam, who were carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh on their heads, were gunned down by the Special Task Force (STF) in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi on Thursday.

Dr Narendra Sengar, Principal of Mahar Laxmi Bai Medical College, Jhansi, on Friday, said that Asad had two bullet injuries whereas Ghulam had only one.

Earlier, state's Special Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar revealed that teams of civil police and special forces were deployed following the intelligence inputs of a plan by Asad of planning to free his father Atiq Ahmed by attacking police convoy midway as the gangster turned politician was being brought in Uttar Pradesh for hearing.

"We had information that to help the accused Atiq and Ashraf escape there could be an attack on the police convoy bringing them back to UP in the case (Umesh Pal murder case). In view of this information, teams of civil police and special forces were deployed," said Prashant Kumar.

Revealing further as to how the encounter took place, He said that based on the information, two teams were deployed and Asad was intercepted, while he was on a bike along with his aide Ghulam.

"Action was taken on the basis of information and at around 12:30 and 1 pm the duo were killed in a retaliatory firing," Kumar said, adding that the Special Task Force conducted the entire operation.

He said special teams were constituted and were consistently following the case since the murder of Umesh Pal.

On March 28, Atiq Ahmed was convicted by an MP-MLA court and sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment in the abduction case of now-deceased Umesh Pal.

Atiq Ahmed and his family came under the scanner in the Umesh Pal murder case.

Atiq Ahmed, who has over 100 cases against him over the last 43 years, has been convicted in the same case.

Umesh Pal, a key witness to the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party leader Raju Pal and one of his two armed security escorts was shot dead in Prayagraj's Sulem Saray area on February 24.

Several rounds were fired and bombs were hurled at Umesh and his gunners, according to officials.

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