Six of Atiq Ahmed’s properties razed by authorities since 2020

“We collect information about the person who had possession of the land concerned through neighbours. If the building is constructed illegally, we issue notice to the person concerned and seek a reply,” the official said of the process.

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)

The PDA has, in the last two years, also taken back possession of three buildings that were in Atiq’s possession and had been constructed on government land.

Atiq’s two-storey house, located in Prayagraj’s Chakia area, was demolished on September 22, 2020, two days after his office at Chakia crossing was demolished. The office is around three km from the house.

According to the PDA official, Atiq’s house was spread out over three-four bigha of land. Atiq had allegedly forcibly captured the neighbours’ land and merged it as part of the house. His office was partially demolished, with authorities saying a portion of it was constructed illegally.

“We found Atiq had constructed the office building in a bigger area than was approved by the authority. The building plan was approved by the authority in October 2004. Notices were issued at Atiq’s house in 2019, seeking an explanation for the extra construction,” the PDA official said, adding that no reply was received from him. The total area of his office was around 9,000 square feet.

The illegally constructed area was then demolished on September 20, 2020.

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)

Mohammad Sarwar, who ran a grocery store near that building, said while the PDA demolished a part of the office building, the entire building got damaged in the process. “Because of the use of heavy JCB machines in the demolition, the portion of the building which had its plan approved also got damaged,” he said. He added that after the demolition, Atiq’s associates did not return to the site, and did not not remove furniture from there.

Prayagraj police conducted a search inside the office building on March 21 after the arrest of five people related to the murder of Umesh Pal and two policemen in the Dhoomanganj area of Prayagraj on February 24. Among those arrested in this case included Atiq’s driver and domestic help.

Police had said they recovered Rs 72.37 lakh in cash, as well as arms and ammunition from Atiq’s office during that search.

Owners of shops near the building said that several years ago, a family used to live on the land on which Atiq’s office building stood. According to the shop owners, the family was pressurised by Atiq to sell him the land at much below the going rate.

“A few years after the acquiring the land, Atiq constructed his office there. He would visit the office twice or thrice a week and meet locals. There used to be a huge rush there at the time of elections,” said Manoj Kumar, who runs a paan shop opposite the building.

He added that during the last BSP government, the boundary wall of the office was demolished by the PDA. When the Samajwadi Party government came into power, the boundary wall was again constructed.

Crackdown on Atiq’s properties (2020-21)

• Commercial building built on 4,500 sq ft of govt land in Civil Lines area demolished on September 7, 2020. Authorities take possession of land
• Commercial building on 6,300 sq ft of govt land in Civil Lines razed on Sept 12, 2020. Authorities take possession of land
• PDA takes possession of a building constructed on 6,300 sq ft of govt land in Lukarganj area on Sept 13, 2020
• PDA takes possession of a building built on 23,400 sq ft of govt land in Lukarganj on Sept 13, 2020
• PDA takes possession of a building constructed on 34,200 sq ft of govt land in Lukarganj on Sept 13, 2020
• Atiq’s cold storage in Jhusi area demolished on Sept 17 and 18, 2020
• Illegally built parts of Atiq’s office demolished on Sept 20, 2020
• Atiq’s house razed on Sept 22, 2020
• A building built on 40,500 sq ft of land at Lukarganj demolished, March 7-10, 2021