Atiq Ahmed killing: Shooter skipped court appearance in Panipat on day of murder

During the hearing, his family had filed a petition in a juvenile court on March 24 last year claiming that he was a juvenile and his trial should be conducted there instead. Later that month, on March 29, the juvenile court declared Arun’s age as 17 years and six months, and fixed April 15, 2023 as the next date of hearing.

A photo of three men; (L-R) Arun Maurya, Sunny Purane and Lavlesh Tiwari, who opened fire at gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf while they were being taken for a medical checkup in Prayagraj. (PTI Photo)

It was in Panipat that Maurya briefly stayed with his grandfather, away from his parents, who are residents of Kadarwadi village in Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj. A few days ago, he left, telling his family he was heading to Delhi for some work.

Saurabh Dixit, SP (Kasganj), said: “We have so far found that Arun was involved in one case of Arms Act in sector 29 of Panipat. A few days back he told his grandfather and parents that he was going to Delhi for some work, and left his Panipat home. We are trying to verify his antecedents.”

Meanwhile, at Kadarwadi village in Kasganj, home to almost 7,000 residents, neighbours said Maurya last visited around two years ago. He mostly stayed inside his parents’ small brick home before leaving in a week.

Guarded by at least a dozen state police officers, the house wore a deserted look with villagers claiming that the family, comprising father Deepak Kumar (50) mother Bela Devi (43), and Maurya’s younger brother and sister, left the village a day after police came to speak to them.

People gather at the crime scene where Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead while being taken for medical checkup to a hospital, in Prayagraj, Sunday, April 16, 2023. (PTI Photo/File)

Police said they are in touch with Maurya’s family and that they are cooperating. Said a villager, Ravindra Singh, “Deepak used to run a snack stall. He never mentioned anything peculiar about his son. He used to say that he has a job and lives with his grandfather in Panipat. Arun used to visit his parents and siblings here once every three to four years for a short duration, and would hardly leave his house.”

Village pradhan Prabhat Kumar Saxena said Deepak settled in Panipat around 1988 and Arun was born there. The family moved to Kasganj around eight years ago, before which he worked as tempo driver in Soron, around 9 km away.

“Most of the villagers here have at least four to five bighas of agricultural land… Arun’s family had around 1 bigha but his father had to sell it due to financial needs. He then started running a chaat stall,” said the pradhan.
A neighbour, Shiv Kumar, said, “Arun came around two years ago. Whenever we asked about his son, Deepak would say he has settled down in Panipat. He said Arun used to work in textile industry.”