Woman, new gunmen add intrigue to MLA murder tale

Apart from the known rivalry between the Ahmed brothers and Pal, what has come under increased scrutiny are the role of two state gunmen who were with Pal that day, the woman who got the MLA’s vehicle to stop and the delayed police reaction. Consider the charges made by Pal’s relatives and party:

• No effort was made by police to raise an alert or issue a wireless message even an hour after the murder on Tuesday evening, allowing the 20-odd accused to escape easily

• Two gunmen, provided by the state government, were moved out last week after they had saved the MLA from a similar attack. One of the two new replacements were in the Toyota Qualis with the MLA when the killers struck—he escaped unhurt. The other was in another vehicle

• Rukhsana, the woman whom Pal gave a lift minutes before the bullets came, escaped with a bullet injury to the shoulder, while the MLA sitting next to her was pummeled by over 50 bullets. His two private gunmen, in the seat behind, were also killed

• Rukhsana asked Pal for a lift to Nevan, say the MLA’s relatives, though she was from another village. She got into the front seat, with Pal, forcing the MLA’s private gunman to join his partner in the second row.

According to eye-witnesses, Pal was on his way back to his village Nevan, with his two private gunmen sitting along with him and the state gunman in the third—and last—row of seats.

At the Sulen Sarai market in Dhumanganj area, his vehicle was flagged down by Rukhsana who was known to the MLA. ‘‘She was accompanied by her husband who said their scooter had run out of petrol. They asked Raju Pal to give her a lift to Nevan. But she had no reason to go there as she lives in another village. Raju Pal, however, made her sit on the front seat sending his private gunmen behind. About 100 metres later, three vehicles cornered the MLA’s Qualis and started firing,’’ said one of Pal’s close relatives.

Says IG (Allahabad) A C Sharma: ‘‘She (Rukhsana) might be involved. The criminals might have used her as a tool to track down Raju Pal’s movements. We are probing the issue.’’ A police team is now guarding her in the city’s SRN hospital, he said.

BSP supremo Mayawati told The Indian Express that the role of the state gunmen needs to be probed, too. ‘‘His two earlier state gunmen had saved his life when an attack was made on him in Nevan a week back. For reasons best known to the government, both were replaced with new ones just before the murder. Neither of them fired during the attack nor did they receive any injury,’’ said Mayawati.

But police have already dismissed any such possibility. ‘‘Both state gunners have told us that they had no time to react. It is pure chance that they managed to survive the attack,’’ said IG Sharma.

Sharma also brushed aside allegations that senior police officers are involved in the murder plot, as alleged by BSP leaders.

‘‘There are just three possible exits from the city, and that too over bridges across three rivers. An alert could have sealed all three bridges, but police did nothing,’’ said one senior BSP leader.

The manner in which the police hastily cremated Pal’s body yesterday morning without even informing the MLA’s family has only fuelled suspicions, the BSP leader said.

Police sources admitted that they yet to find out the make or registration number of the vehicles involved in the attack or the kind of weapons used. ‘‘We have arrested Atiq Ahmed’s brother as we suspect him to be the prime accused out of their political rivalry. The truth will be out soon,’’ IG Sharma said.

MP Atiq Ahmed, meanwhile, has simply washed his hands of the affair. ‘‘It was a well-planned murder, but not by me,’’ said Ahmed.