Former IPS Officer Amitabh Thakur raises doubt over the encounters of Asad Ahmad

The Yogi Adityanath government has drawn praises for the encounter of Asad Ahmad and Ghulam , the accused in the Umesh Pal Gautam murder case. But the theory of Uttar Pradesh Police on the circumstances leading to the encounter has not gone down well with some people. One of whom is Former IPS Amitabh Thakur. Thakur has raised several points in his letter addressed to the National Human Rights Commission.

He has raised the following doubts over the encounter

The dead taken to the hospital or the injured ?

The FIR mentions that Asad and Ghulam were alive when the firing stopped. But from the photographs it is clear that they were dead. Therefore the claim of them being alive and rushed to the hospital via Ambulance is disputed.

Firm Grasp of the pistol

Asad seems to be holding the pistol in his fist tightly, whereas according to medico legal principles it is not possible to hold the gun while being injured.

Why did they fall far from the bike and not on the bike ?

He contended that Asad was lying beneath the handle of the bike which is not possible in case of an encounter. He claimed that logically Asad would have been lying over the bike and not under it.

Pistol in the hands of Ghulam Planted ?

Thakur claimed that in one photograph the pistol is missing from the hands of Ghulam in one hand while in the other he is holding it comfortably, this raises the suspicion of it being a planted pistol. Further, it is not possible to hold the pistol the way Ghulam is holding after being injured goes against the medico-legal principles, as in the case of Asad.

The “Taking Cover” theory of Police does not stand scrutiny

Thakur said that the “sight of incidence” is an open area and it is not possible to take cover in that area.

No scratches on the bike

The bike does not bear the marks of slipping as there is no scrath or any mark, despite the area being a rocky terrain.

Dirtless tyres

How are the tyres of bike so clean, if the criminals were on the run.

Delay in FIR

According to the FIR the encounter ended at 12:55 but the FIR got registered at 11:55, which raises suspicion.

Long gap between FIR and news report

The news channels broadcasted the news of the death of the criminals at around 1:00. Whereas the FIR mentions that both of them were alive at that time.

It is to be noted that though belonging to the family of the dreaded gangster Atiq Ahmad, Asad was not a history sheeter. Infact the first FIR was lodged against him just 47 days before his encounter on 25th February 2023. Former Chief Ministers of UP- BSP chief Mayawati and SP President Akhilesh Yadav have also demanded CBI inquiry into the incident.

Here is the background to the Umesh Pal murder case

February 24: Lawyer Umesh Pal, a Key witness in the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal Murder case is gunned down by criminals outside his home in the Dhoomanganj area of Prayagraj. His two security guards, who were allotted to him by the UP Police are inujured in the attack.

February 25: A case was registered against Ahmad, Ashraf, their family members, and others on the basis of complaint filed by Umesh Pal’s wife, Jaya Pal.

February 27: Shooter Arbaaz, named in the murder was shot dead in an encounter by the police in Prayagraj.

February 28: Raids carried out to nab the killers. Atiq Ahmed’s flat in Lucknow was also raided.

March 1: Constable Raghvendra Singh, who was injured in the attack succumbs to his injuries at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences( SGPGI).

March 3: The Name of Asad was added to the FIR. CCTV shows him running with pistol . Guddu Muslim was also identified as an accused in the case.

March 6: Vijay alias Usman, another accused seen in CCTV is also killed in an encounter by UP Police near the Kaundhiyara area of Prayagraj.

April 13: Asad Ahmad and Ghulam, both wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case are killed in an encounter

Meanwhile in a recent development a doctor at Jhansi Medical College told ANI that Asad and Ghulam had been dead for 90 minutes to two hours before their bodies reached the hospital.

(Note: The aforementioned points have been raised by Amitabh Thakur in a letter to NHRC and are independent of The Mooknayak)