The houses of three more alleged conspirators and shooters in the Umesh Pal murder case, who were close to mafia don turned politician Ateeq Ahmed, were razed by bulldozers in Prayagraj on Friday triggering a sharp reaction from the opposition parties which said there was no rule of law in Uttar Pradesh.
According to the sources, the house of Maskuddin Pradhan, who was said to be a history sheeter and financier of Ateeq, was demolished on Friday with the help of bulldozers. The district officials said that the house was built on illegally occupied land.
The houses of Kavi Ahmed and Guddu Muslim, who was allegedly one of the shooters, who had gunned down Umesh Pal, a key witness in the murder of an MLA, a few days back, were also razed on Friday, sources said.
The district authorities had earlier razed the house of the kin of Ateeq Ahmed, identified as Zafar Ahmed in Prayagraj. It was alleged that Zafar had provided shelter to the shooters in the killing of the witness Umesh Pal in Prayagraj a few days back. Pal, who was a key witness in the murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal in 2005, was gunned down on Friday evening in full public view.
Sources said that the authorities were preparing a list of some others also, who, they suspected, was involved in the conspiracy to kill Pal. ''Some more houses may be demolished in the days to come,'' said a police official.
An FIR was lodged naming Ateeq Ahmed, his wife Shaista Parveen, his brother Ashraf and his two sons. Fourteen people, including Ateeq's two sons, were taken into custody in this regard. Ateeq and Ashraf were accused in the murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal.
The opposition parties however slammed the demolition and said that rule of law did not exist in UP. ''Muslims are being targeted in the country,'' SP Lok Sabha member Shafiqur Rehman Burq said.
A senior BSP leader also said that there was no rule of law in the state.
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