The Story of Atiq Ahmed: The Gangster-Turned-Politician Shot Dead Live on TV

At the age of 17, Atiq Ahmed was charged with murder and went on to become an infamous criminal who terrorised the people of Uttar Pradesh for many years. He finally entered politics and was elected to the Phulpur constituency, which had previously been represented by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were killed while being transported for a medical test in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.

Atiq Ahmed faced over a hundred charges over the course of forty years, including extortion, kidnapping, and murder. Although his prominence grew following the killing of Umesh Pal, a witness in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal, his impact on Uttar Pradesh was already enormous.

Atiq had a long career in crime and politics and came from a poor family. He rose to prominence by falsely accusing his opponents of crimes, and people who knew him in his ancestral town regarded him as a person who bribed and threatened witnesses to avoid punishment.

A rags to riches life story

Atiq Ahmed was born in Allahabad (now renamed Prayagraj) in 1962 and raised in poverty. His father supported the family by driving a horse-drawn carriage throughout town. Atiq’s academic career was cut short after he failed his high school examinations.

When faced with financial difficulties, Atiq immediately pursued a life of crime. He started by stealing coal off trains and selling it for a profit, but he quickly threatened contractors to gain government contracts for railway scrap metal.

At 27, Atiq Ahmed began politics in 1989 and immediately established himself as a highly influential and powerful person. The same year, he secured the Allahabad West assembly seat as an independent candidate, launching his political career. Ahmed was elected to the Allahabad West Legislative Assembly for five consecutive terms.

Ahmed first won the Allahabad West seat as an independent candidate in 1991 and 1993. He then joined the Samajwadi Party, ran for the same seat again in 1996, and secured the seat again. He was dismissed from the party in 1998 and, after that, joined the Apna Dal in 1999, where he served as president from 1999 to 2003.

The Fall of Atiq Ahmed

When Atiq Ahmed was charged with the murder of Raju Pal, who defeated his younger brother Khalid Azim in the Allahabad (West) assembly seat in 2005, his political career suffered a huge setback. In 2008, Atiq was detained but released on bail. However, he continued to wield power in Uttar Pradesh’s underworld.

He was kicked out of the Samajwadi Party in 2007 for reportedly sheltering those involved in the gangrape of madrasa students. When Mayawati reclaimed power in 2007, the mafia’s demise began, and Atiq and his brother Ashraf were imprisoned in 2008. Atiq was detained in 2017 for reportedly attacking staff members at Prayagraj’s Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Sciences. When Yogi Adityanath became Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Atiq Ahmed’s problems worsened. The Supreme Court later directed that Atiq Ahmed be transferred from Uttar Pradesh to Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Central Jail in June 2019.

The death

A court in Uttar Pradesh declared Atiq Ahmed and two other suspects guilty in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case on March 28, and he was sentenced to life in prison by the court. Atiq had previously expressed fears of being killed in a fake police encounter. On April 13, Atiq Ahmed was being transported to Prayagraj for questioning in the Umesh Pal murder case when reporters contacted him. He lamented that he had been reduced to nothing and requested that his ladies and children not be harassed. On the same day, Atiq’s son, Asad, and a companion named Ghulam were killed in an encounter near Jhansi. Atiq had requested permission to attend Asad’s funeral, but it was rejected. Just before being murdered in Prayagraj, Atiq Ahmed revealed that he and his associates did not attend Asad’s funeral because the authorities didn’t take them there. These were Atiq Ahmed’s final remarks.