Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak has warned that those involved in the murder of Umesh Pal – a key witness in the 2005 Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal murder case – will not be "spared". Pathak made these remarks days after UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also warned that all mafias and criminals will be decimated. "An investigation is regularly going on regarding the matter and those who are involved will not be spared. Whosoever is guilty will be punished by the authorities," Pathak said.


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Umesh Pal, the prime witness in the 2005 MLA Raju Pal murder case was shot dead by an unidentified man while he was getting out of a Hyundai Creta SUV in Prayagraj, the camera footage showed.


In a major development, the Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday gunned down an alleged shooter of the Atiq Ahmed gang during an encounter in the Kaudhiyara area of Prayagraj in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case. According to reports, the shooter, who was seriously injured during the encounter, succumbed while being rushed to the hospital. He has been identified as Vijay Chaudhary alias 'Usman.' A policeman has also sustained injuries during the encounter and has been taken to hospital for treatment. 


The slain shooter is said to be the first among the assailants who attacked Umesh Pal and his security guards on February 24 this year. Usman was rushed to the Swaroop Rani Nehru Medical Hospital after the encounter, but he succumbed to his injuries on the way. The UP Police had earlier declared a reward of Rs 50,000 on Usman. 


It may be recalled that Umesh Pal, the key witness in the BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case, and his police security guard Sandeep Nishad were shot dead outside his home in the Dhoomanganj area of Prayagraj.


Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed is the prime accused in the Raju Pal murder case and is currently lodged in a Gujarat jail. A reward of Rs 2.5 lakh each for the arrest or giving information for the arrest of five persons involved in the killing of Umesh Pal was announced by UP Police on Sunday.


Based on a complaint lodged by Umesh Pal's wife Jaya Pal, a case was registered at Dhoomanganj police station against Atiq Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, his wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others.


The Uttar Pradesh police have announced a cash bounty of Rs 2.5 lakh as a reward for finding those accused in the murder. The accused have been identified as Asad Ahmad, Armaan, Ghulam, Guddu Muslim and Sabir. "Many teams of UP police are constantly trying to arrest the accused," the police said.


Property Of Accused Demolished


In a related development, the property of an accused in the killing of the key witness in the murder of Raju Pal, a BSP MLA, was also razed to the ground in Prayagraj. An accused - Arbaaz - was shot in an exchange of fire near the Nehru Park area in Prayagraj`s Dhoomanganj earlier. "Accused Arbaaz was shot during the encounter that took place near Nehru Park in Dhoomanganj, Prayagraj. He was driving the car that was used in the murder (of Umesh Pal) and was fired upon," ADG law and order Prashant Kumar had said on Monday.


"Arbaaz died during treatment at the hospital. The UP administration and the police have initiated a campaign against all such miscreants, gangsters, and mafia. There is also a crackdown on those sheltering such people," he added.