“Mere pati ke hatyare Atiq Ahmed ko mukhya mantri ne mitti mein milaane ka kaam kiya (Chief Minsiter Yogi Adityanath destroyed Atiq Ahmed who killed my husband.” Uttar Pradesh assembly resonated with the passionate words of Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Pooja Pal on 13th August. She is the widow of former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator Raju Pal. The mafia-turned-politician, Atiq Ajmed, murdered him in 2005.

“Everyone knows how my husband was killed and who did it. I want to thank the chief minister, who listened to me when no one else did. He gave justice to many women like me in Prayagraj and punished the criminals. Today the entire state looks at the chief minister with confidence,” she stated during the 24-hour marathon discussion on the “Vision Document 2047,” lauding the government’s zero-tolerance policy for crime. “When I started getting tired of this fight, then chief minister Yogi Adityanath gave me justice,” the MLA declared.

However, SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav expelled her from the party in the name of “anti-party activities” and “serious indiscipline” hours after her remarks. According to the letter, Pooja Pal caused “considerable harm to the party” by continuing her actions in spite of earlier warnings. Additionally, it stated that she would no again be invited to any party programs or meetings and has been removed from all SP posts.

JUST IN: Samajwadi Party expels MLA Pooja Pal for gross indiscipline and damaging party’s image. During a discussion in UP Assembly on Vision Document 2047, she had praised Yogi Adityanath for crime control and said: Mere pati ke hatyare Atiq Ahmed ko Mukhya Mantri ne mitti mein… pic.twitter.com/nU53cYVnXa

— Padmaja Joshi (@PadmajaJoshi) August 14, 2025

Men acting as journalists shot the gangster and his brother dead on 15th April 2023 outside a Prayagraj government hospital where the police had taken them for a nighttime medical examination.

Anatomy of a murder

Raju Pal, the BSP MLA from the former Allahabad West was on his way home to Dhoomanganj’s Neewa from the Swaroop Rani Nehru (SRN) Hospital’s post-mortem house in the present-day Prayagraj on 25th January 2005, at approximately 3 pm, merely nine days after his wedding. The murder of a student from his constituency was the cause of his hospital visit. He was also joined by four associates in another SUV (sports utility vehicle).

The lawmaker, who was driving himself, noticed a couple (Ruksana and Sajid) beside their scooter, besides the Neeva crossing in the Dhoomanganj region. He realized that the woman was an acquaintance and discovered that their two-wheeler had run out of fuel. He decided to give her a lift in his car to her home while her husband headed to the petrol pump with the vehicle.

Two of his supporters, Devi Lal and Sandeep Yadav, were also in the same car alongside Ruksana. The men in the second SUV were Saif, Omprakash and driver Mahendra Patel, all from Neewa. They were escorted by an armed police constable in each vehicle.

Pal had just moved forward when unexpectedly two vehicles encircled him from both the front and the rear, on GT Road as indiscriminate gunfire erupted from all sides before anyone could even make sense of the situation. He opened his window and attempted to flee for his life. However, the assailants were trained shooters and followed him as bullets kept flying. Pal was shot multiple times.

His supporters arrived and hurried him to the hospital but the attackers started to unleash gunfire on them. Bullets continued to rain down on Pal for a distance of 5 kilometers. The area was in a state of terror due to the sustained firing. The collision between the two SUVs sent pedestrians reeling.

A crowd gathered at the location and soon after police officers also arrived. They were Parshuram Singh, the station house officer of the Dhumanganj police station, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sunil Gupta and Superintendent of Police (City) Rajesh Krishna. The wounded were taken in an autorickshaw to Jeevan Jyoti Hospital. However, Pal succumbed to his injuries before reaching there.

The incumbent MLA had been killed in broad daylight by the time the screams and gunfire subsided. The assault also claimed the lives of Devi and Sandeep. The assassination caused a significant uproar in the state’s political landscape. Pal’s supporters took control of his body to stage a roadblock in Sulemsarai before it could be taken to SRN Hospital for a postmortem.

They engaged in stone-pelting as well. Somehow, the police were able to retrieve the body and submit it for a post-mortem. The tension was palpable throughout the region. The whole city was on edge because of the occurrence.

The MLA’s wife, Pooja Pal, later filed a complaint against nine people under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with a deadly weapon), 149 (illegal assembly), 307 (attempt to murder), 302 (murder), 120 (criminal conspiracy) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the the Indian Penal Code in relation the murder, at the Dhumanganj police station.

It included the names of nine individuals, including Atiq Ahmed who was Phulpur MP from Samajwadi Party at the time, his younger brother Khalid Azeem also known as Ashraf and close associates.

A brutal end to a political enmity

The conflict between Atiq Ahmed and Raju Pal began in 2002, three years prior to the murder. The latter was known to have a criminal history and was reportedly affiliated with his killer at one point, however, he eventually distanced himself. Atiq ventured into politics while simultaneously broadening his criminal enterprise, in the late 1980s.

He first became an MLA in 1989, as an independent candidate from the Western Allahabad constituency and then in 2002, he won on an Apna Dal ticket. Atiq won 5 times between 1989-2002 from there and held extensive influence in Purvanchal which made it difficult for political parties to find candidates who were willing to contest Allahabad seat against him.

The course of events shifted as Pal entered the political arena and emerged as a leader of the BSP, marking the beginning of the rivalry between the two. During the Lok Sabha elections in 2004, Atiq who was an SP candidate emerged victorious from the Phulpur seat after which the West Allahabad assembly seat became vacant.

He wanted his brother Ashraf to take over as MLA from there and successfully secured a ticket for him from the Samajwadi Party for the subsequent by-election. Meanwhile, Pal also received a ticket from the BSP. The elections were conducted and he defeated Ashraf, ending the mafia’s dominance over the seat, for the first time. This result was a major setback for Atiq who decided to compensate for his loss with Pal’s blood.

Only three months had elapsed since Raju Pal became an MLA when his life was taken. The Uttar Pradesh Police conducted the inquiry initially but the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The CBI court found six of Atiq Ahmed’s aides guilty, sentencing them to life imprisonment while one received a four-year sentence. A charge sheet was submitted against ten individuals in this case of whom three, Atiq, his brother and Gulbul alias Rafiq have already passed away.

Ranjeet Pal, Abid, Farhan Ahmad, Israr Ahmad, Javed, Gulhasan and Abdul Kavi were found guilty of criminal conspiracy and murder, among other serious charges, by the Special Judge of the CBI, Lucknow. Farhan Ahmad was also convicted under the Indian Arms Act.

Atiq Ahmed unleashed his fury on the witnesses

Over a dozen witnesses were involved, however, 15 witnesses provided testimonies in the CBI court, including that of Ruksana Begum who was struck by two bullets. Atiq and his accomplices initially attempted to entice her and Sadiq with offers of money, land and business opportunities, reported Navbharat Times. However, when they did not fall for his offers, he started to torture them and filed false charges against Sajid, their son and other family members.

Their relatives also faced harassment. Anyone associated with them was threatened and intimidated. The gangster exerted pressure through law enforcement who kidnapped them. They even sought to sway the family by stating that Atiq was also a Muslim, implying that the latter should back him.

He conspired to threw Sajid and his son in Naini Central jail in a bogus murder case when they did not comply. They were subjected to brutal physical violence in front of Atiq’s men. They endured relentless beatings for 16 days. Their clothes were also removed. Death threats were issued to their entire family.

Kidnapping and torture of Umesh Pal

Pooja Pal’s cousin Umesh Pal, an advocate who was an active member of BSP and zila panchayat (Allahabad) was a crucial witness in the murder case of Raju Pal. He complained to the police in 2007 that Atiq and his aides were constantly threatening and pressuring him to alter his statements in the courtroom regarding the murder of Raju Pal.

Umesh was abducted on 28th February 2006, at about 2:00 pm in Prayagraj close to Fasi Imli, Sulemsarai Road. He filed with the Dhoomanganj police on 5th July 2007. He unveiled that in addition to kidnapping him at gunpoint, Atiq and his goons had cruelly tortured him while he was their hostage.

They pressured him to take back his statement in the Raju Pal murder case. He also charged that Atiq pressured him into making a false statement in court. Umesh was given a paper by Atiq who instructed him to thoroughly read it. He was then told to present the written material as his statement in court, failing which he and his family would suffer grave repercussions.

Atiq’s aides had also threatened to kill Umesh if the family dared to call the police. The Prayagraj police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Atiq, Dinesh Pasi, Khan Saulat Hanif and others. Atiq, Khan Saulat Hanif and Dinesh Pasi were deemed culpable in the case by the Prayagraj MP/MLA court and given a rigorous life sentence.

Murder of Umesh Pal

The death threat soon turned into a grim reality for Umesh, whose life was claimed by Atiq and his associates. On 25th February 2023, Umesh and Sandeep Nishad his police security guard were mercilessly shot and killed at Jaitipur at the Prayagraj Dhoomanganj police station area, outside the former’s residence.

His second bodyguard, Raghvendra Singh who was also hurt during the incident was brought to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) in Lucknow after he was admitted to the SRN Hospital. The assaliants used rifles and handguns to shoot Nishad and threw bombs at Umesh and the other cop. CCTV recorded the entire incident.

Atiq’s son Asad Ahmed, Ghulam who was Asad’s close acquaintance, Guddu Muslim, Arbaaz, the driver of their vehicle and Vijay Chaudhary, also known as Usman were seen on camera and they were later killed in encounters with Uttar Pradesh police except Guddu who is on the run.

Moreover, chargesheets had been submitted against Guddu, Arman and Sabir. They played aw major part in Umesh Pal’s murder and held a reward of Rs 5 lakh each. 15 people have been charged till now. Three including the chief shooters remain at large, while twelve including the sons of Atiq Ahmed, Umar and Ali are presently in jail. Atiq’s wife Shahista Parveen who is also an accused in the case is also absconding.

According to reports, Atiq told the police that Umesh Pal was undermining his authority and he killed him to preserve his “empire.” The mobster informed officials that he had repeatedly requested a meeting with him but he refused. Atiq  reportedly informed the police that this infuriated him and resulted in the murder.

There were more than 100 criminal cases against Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf was facing 50 more. Police arrested the former in February 2017 after he attacked employees of Prayagraj’s Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences. He was transported to Prayagraj for a court hearing after being detained in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail.

Previously a formidable presence in the political and criminal domains of eastern Uttar Pradesh, he was feared as the leader of a network dedicated to land-grabbing and extortion, underscoring the blend of politics and crime in the region.

Conclusion

The action taken by Akhilesh Yadav against Pooja Pal is not unexpected, nor are her comments which further emphasize the disparity between the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh under the Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The zero-tolerance policy against crime implemented by CM Yogi has resulted in several instances where dreaded gangsters and other criminal elements have faced consequences for their acts, rather than receiving political patronage as was the case with previous administrations.

This is the reason why the law and order situation has significantly improved under the governance of the saffron party. CM Yogi repeatedly warned, “Mafia ko mitti main mila dengey (Would eliminate the mafia in the state) and has remained true to his word time and again, the evidence of which was showcased by Pooja Pal.