Won't even see his face: Asad's mother refuses to take his body

A day after gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad's son Asad and an accomplice Ghulam, were shot dead in an exchange of fire with the Uttar Pradesh Police near Jhansi, Ghulam's mother on Friday declared the state government's action to be 'absolutely correct'.

She further asserted that all gangsters and criminals will take a lesson from this. ''I had no idea that he (my son) used to work for gangster Atiq Ahmed. I will not receive his body, maybe his wife will receive it,'' she was quoted by news agency ANI.

Rahil Sarkar, brother of Ghulam, also said that the action taken by the police is correct. ''He has done a very heinous act that we do not support. We will not go to collect his dead body. We have told our point to the police station chief. How can you support someone who acts like this?.''

Ghulam Hasan, a resident of Prayagraj's Mehndauri area, was the brother of ex-BJP minority cell district president Rahil Hasan.

Atiq Ahmad's son Asad and an accomplice Ghulam, both wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, were killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police near Jhansi on Thursday, officials said.

The police had announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for information on Asad and Ghulam who were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case.

On February 24 this year, Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2005 murder case of BSP MLA Raju Pal, was shot dead outside his home in Prayagraj. His family accused Atiq, his wife Shahista Parveen, brother Ashraf and Asad among those responsible for the murder.

Based on a complaint lodged by Umesh Pal's wife Jaya Pal, a case was registered on February 25 against Ahmad, Ashraf, their family members 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. Ahmad is also an accused in the 2005 Raju Pal murder case.