This is the land of holy confluence. Since time immemorial, it is revered by millions of Hindus as the land of ‘Moksha’. Over time, it has also emerged as a center of modern education and the cradle of India’s national and political movement.
The city of Prayagraj, erstwhile Allahabad, which gave India its first Prime Minister, is in news today after a sensational shootout and mafia that tried to challenge Yogi Adityanath’s policy of ‘zero tolerance’ towards big mafia.
On February 24, when Yogi Adityanath’s government in Lucknow was preparing the road map for the future growth and development of the state through its budget of around Rs 7 lakh crore for the financial year 2023-24, in Dhoomanganj area of Prayagraj Shanti, about 230 km from the state capital, was shattered by gunfire and bomb blasts in broad daylight.
Leading this open attack on one Umesh Pal was none other than Asad, son of jailed mafia don and former Samajwadi Party MLA Atiq Ahmed.
challenge
Within minutes, Adityanath’s zero tolerance policy against organized crime and the mafia, which had been strictly adopted since 2017, was up for a challenge. As the opposition seized on the opportunity, the government was initially pushed into a corner, claiming the Yogi government’s failure and the return of mafia raj in the state.
After all, Atiq and his brother, former MLA Ashraf, have been behind bars for several years. In fact, since 2019, Atiq has been kicking his heels away from UP in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad jail. Over the years, bulldozers have been seen at Atiq’s properties, including his home and office. And just when many began to believe that this was the end of the story for the jailed don, he was back in the news with a sensational murder that saw a massive turnout against him in Prayagraj.
Umesh Pal, though hostile to Atiq and his brother Ashraf, accused in the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case, opened a new front against Bahubali after the Yogi government came to power in 2017. Umesh had accused Atiq of kidnapping him. A case in which he recently testified against the don.
Why attack?
Why was Umesh not targeted before he was ousted? The answer to this question probably lies in the mafia’s desperation to prove itself again. Anupam Mishra, a senior journalist from Prayagraj, says, “The mafia is terrorized since Adityanath became the Chief Minister. They have got a severe blow. The broad daylight attack on Umesh and his style was clearly aimed at re-establishing lost clout.”
Another notable fact in this shootout was that the attackers did not care to hide their identities and the entire attack was led by Atiq’s son Asad.
Mishra makes an interesting observation. They say, “Assad carried out the assassination, most likely with the approval of his father. A silent murder would not have helped in regaining the terrorist tag for the family. Assad’s open entry into crime is intended to signal a generational change in the gang’s leadership.
Work
After the absconding of Asad with a reward of Rs 2.5 lakh, the police have started raids in search of him. Sources in UP Police say that his location could be somewhere in Nepal. Speaking to the media in Lucknow, UP Police’s ADG Law and Order Prashant Kumar said, “Our many teams are on the lookout for the missing attackers. Soon everyone will be accounted for.”
Meanwhile, after the initial setbacks, the government has now moved ahead with a sense of revenge. The tone was clear by the Chief Minister when he thundered out on the opposition on the floor of the House earlier last month.
Taking a jibe at the opposition’s attack, Yogi said, ‘Atiq was made by the Samajwadi Party, now my government will bite the mafia.’
As Yogi had made his intention clear, from the policy of ‘bullets and bulldozers’ for the mafias, now the policy of zero tolerance seems to be intensifying. Ever since the murder of Umesh and the tragic death of two police personnel guarding him, the shooters and associates of the Atiq gang have been under fire.
Arbaaz and Usman, the two shooters allegedly involved in the murder, have been killed in a police encounter. Sadaqat Khan has been arrested. Three large properties have been demolished using bulldozers, all of which house alleged gang associates. Those in the know of further plans in the government say that this ‘bullet and bulldozer’ policy will be implemented in the near future.
Sources say that the UP CM, known for his resolve, is no longer in a mood to give breathing space to Atiq or Mukhtar Ansari. The presence of the mafia and its efforts to re-establish itself can threaten the entire discourse of the government around growth and development.
For the CM who wants to make UP a $1 trillion economy by 2027, his most cherished goal, in no way can he afford the return of the Jungle Raj tag to Uttar Pradesh.
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