Asad Encounter: Asaduddin Owaisi Says BJP Kills People In The Name Of Religion

The AIMIM MP came down heavily on the BJP and accused it of targeting the Muslims and bulldozing their houses in all states where it is in power and conducting fake encounters for political mileage.

HYDERABAD: AIMIM Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday accused the BJP of doing encounters and killing people in the name of religion. Owaisi, a known vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, slammed the BJP after news of the Jhansi encounter, in which gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad, wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, was spread like wildfire on news channels and social media.

The AIMIM leader also sought to know from the BJP: “Will you also shoot the killers of Junaid and Nasir?”  “Will the BJP also shoot those who killed Junaid and Nasir? No, because you (BJP) do counters in the name of religion. You want to weaken the rule of law, do encounter of the Constitution,” the AIMIM MP said while addressing a gathering in Telangana's Nizamabad, according to news agency ANI.

#WATCH | Will the BJP also shoot those who killed Junaid and Nasir? No, because you (BJP) do counters in the name of religion. You want to weaken the rule of law, do encounter of the Constitution: AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi in Telangana's Nizamabad pic.twitter.com/vHGRTTeXWU — ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2023

Nasir, 25, and Junaid alias Juna, 35, residents of Ghatmeeka village in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan, were allegedly abducted and their bodies were later found inside a burnt car in Loharu in Bhiwani in Haryana earlier this year. Junaid had a criminal record of cattle smuggling and five cases were registered against him at different police stations. 

Asad, Aide Killed In Jhansi Encounter

Atiq Ahmed`s son Asad was killed in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in Jhansi, police said on Thursday. Asad was killed along with Ghulam, both of whom were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj. Each of them carried a reward of Rs5 lakh. "Asad and Ghulam were wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj and were carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh each. They were killed in an encounter with a UP STF team," said Special Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar.

The encounter took place on a day Ahmad was presented before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Prayagraj in the murder case and was sent to 14-day judicial custody.

How UP STF Tracked Asad?

Visuals showed two bodies lying beside a motorbike at the site of the alleged encounter. An ambulance later took them away. STF officials said Asad and Ghulam were on the run since the murder of Umesh Pal on February 24. Several STF teams were pressed to track them down. On Thursday, they were trying to flee on a motorcycle when they were intercepted by an STF team in Jhansi, the officials said, adding they opened fire on the personnel and were killed in retaliatory firing.

Foreign-Made Weapons Recovered

The UP police said, "Sophisticated foreign-made weapons were recovered from the accused." The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force team was led by deputy superintendents of police Navendu Kumar and Vimal Kumar. ''Asad, son of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and Ghulam S/o Maksudan, both wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj and carrying a reward of Rupees five lakhs each; killed in an encounter with the UPSTF team led by DySP Navendu and DySP Vimal at Jhansi. Sophisticated foreign-made weapons recovered," UP STF said.

Atiq Ahmed, Ashraf Remanded To 14-Day Judicial Custody 

Meanwhile, a Prayagraj court sent gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf to 14-day judicial custody on Thursday in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case. The two were produced before Chief Judicial Magistrate Dinesh Gautam at 11:10 am amid heavy security and they remained in the court for over two hours as the arguments proceeded.

Ahmad and Ashraf, alias Khalid Azim, will be kept in Naini jail in Prayagraj till April 26, said advocate Vikram Singh, the counsel for Umesh Pal's wife Jaya.
Singh said the arguments on the application for their police custody were yet to be completed.

Message To Criminals: UP DyCM

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya hailed the state Special Task Force on the encounter of Asad and his aide, and termed the action, a "message to criminals". While speaking to ANI, Maurya said, "I congratulate UP STF for this action. Police fired in retaliation after they (Asad and his aide Ghulam) fired upon them." "It is a message to criminals that this is the new India. It is Yogi govt in UP, not Samajwadi Party in power which gave protection to criminals," he said.