Gangster turned into politician
In this article, you will come across the rise and fall of India’s most brutal gangster turned into a politician Atiq Ahmed.
On February 12, 1962, Atiq Ahmed was born in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh’s city of Allahabad, currently called Prayagraj. Atiq was born into a family, whose financial situations were very poor, so he choose crime to make ends meet. He started out as a part-time drug dealer and extortionist
Atiq joined a gang in the 1980s. Due to his diabolical mind and crafty character, he quickly rose to the position of one of Mukhtar Ansari’s most trustworthy lieutenants in the gang, which was led by the notorious criminal and politician.
Atiq Ahmed developed a reputation for violence, extortion schemes, and involvement in organized crime throughout the years, rising to become one of the most feared and powerful gangsters in his own right.
Atiq was one of India’s most sought criminals. After charging him with a number of crimes, which included extortion, kidnapping, and murder. The police chased him across the nation.
Atiq Ahmed entered politics in the early 2000s despite having a criminal history and joined the Samajwadi Party. He contested the 2004 parliamentary election from the Phulpur constituency which lies in Uttar Pradesh which and regardless of all his criminal records people gave him a huge acceptance and therefore he won the election seat by a large number of votes.
During his tenure in politics, many people reported him as abusing his governmental position to preserve his criminal business and threaten his opponents. People blamed Atiq for holding several criminal accusations while he was a leader. He was even imprisoned several times. But each time he was able to gain his release and continued to occupy his political position without any hindrance.
In 2005 after recovering the news that Atiq Ahmed had murdered BSP MLA Raju Pal. The party could not tolerate such a nuisance so they decided to expel him permanently from their party. After facing such discrimination he decided to establish his own political party and gave the name the Apna Dal, and after forming his own party he decided to run in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections but unfortunately, his party lost.
The primary eyewitness in Raju Pal’s murder was Umesh Pal, one of his associates, and also a lawyer by profession. Umesh Pal refused to comply with Atiq Ahmed’s requests, so Atiq Ahmed abducted him and forced him to testify in court in support of Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf Ahmed(Brother) in the murder of Raju Pal.
In the kidnapping case, Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were found guilty and given life sentences a month after Umesh Pal was fatally shot in February 2005 and afterward, when the case was still pending in Allahabad court. On April 12, 2023, Atiq admitted that he was responsible for the February 2005 murder of Umesh Paul.
On 15 April 2023, as police officers were bringing Ahmad and Ashraf to a hospital in the Shahganj police station area of Prayagraj for a checkup, three individuals acting as journalists shot them dead at point-blank range.
So the legacy of Atiq Ahmed finally ended on 15 April 2023, famously known as a gangster who had turned himself into a politician.