Now mafia cannot threaten anyone in UP: Yogi

Lucknow: (IANS, ANI) Days after gangster Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were gunned down by three youth while in police custody in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday that no mafia or criminal can threaten industrialists in the state anymore.

The Chief Minister said: “Before 2017, the state was infamous for riots. More than 700 riots rocked the state between 2012 and 2017. But not a single riot broke out after 2017. Earlier, just the names of many districts scared people. Now there is no need to be scared.

“Few years back, there was a crisis for the identity of the state... Today the state is becoming a crisis for criminals. No criminal can threaten any businessman in the state any more.”

Adityanath was addressing a programme to mark the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up textile parks in Lucknow and Hardoi districts. The textile parks are being set up under the PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) scheme.

Government tightens noose around criminals

Tightening the noose around dreaded criminals, the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has released a list of most-wanted criminals who are on the radar of the state government. The rewards on their heads range from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5,00,000.

SIT to recreate crime scene

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the murder of Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf will soon recreate the crime scene as part of its ongoing investigation, sources revealed.

The SIT team will also investigate how many policemen tried to nab the attackers and how much time it took to control them.

On Sunday, nearly two days after three persons posing as media persons gunned down gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj, the Uttar Pradesh police announced formation of two special investigating teams (SITs) to probe the brazen killings.

The first SIT, to be headed by Additional DCP (crime) Satish Chandra, has been formed to probe the murder case registered at Shahganj police station, according to an order issued by Prayagraj Commissioner of Police, Ramit Sharma on Sunday.

The second SIT has been put together to supervise the first. This SIT will be headed by ADG Prayagraj Zone Bhanu Bhaskar, and would also have Prayagraj Commissioner of Police and the director of Forensic Science Laboratory as its members, stated an order issued by the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police, RK Vishwakarma on Sunday.

Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf Ahmad were shot dead by men posing as journalists on Saturday night, while they were being taken for a medical examination in Prayagraj.

Both the gangsters collapsed on the spot after being shot at point-blank range.

Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the incident and ordered the setting up of a judicial commission in the matter.

All three alleged assailants were sent to 14-day judicial custody by the district court on Sunday.

Atiq Ahmed was accused in the 2005 murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal and also in the killing of a key witness in that case, Umesh Pal, in February this year.