'BJP is against brotherhood': Akhilesh slams BJP on Asad Ahmad's encounter

Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday slammed the BJP after Asad, son of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and shooter Ghulam, both wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, were killed in an encounter.

He has called it "fake encounters" carried out by the BJP government to divert the attention from the real issues. "By doing fake encounters, the BJP government is trying to divert attention from the real issues," he said in a tweet written in Hindi.

The SP leader said that 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. The power does not have the right to decide what is right or wrong," he added.

"BJP is against brotherhood," Yadav stated.

The duo were killed in a joint operation by Uttar Pradesh Police Special Task Force (UPSTF) team led by DySP Navendu and DySP Vimal at Jhansi.

Asad and another accused Ghulam carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh each. The police recovered sophisticated weapons that were made in a foreign country.

"The UP STF team was led by Deputy SP Navendu and Vimal. Sophisticated foreign made weapons were recovered from the accused. Further details are awaited," said Special Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prasahant Kumar.

Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2005 murder case of then BSP MLA Raju Pal, and his two police security guards were shot dead outside his home in Prayagraj's Dhoomanganj area on February 24 this year. Based on a complaint lodged by Umesh Pal's wife Jaya Pal, a case was registered on February 25 against Atiq Ahmad, his brother Ashraf, Asad, Ghulam and others.

The FIR was lodged under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons), 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.

Atiq Ahmad is also an accused in the 2005 Raju Pal murder case.

The incident has come on the day when Atiq Ahmed wascproduced before a court in Prayagraj in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case.