Atiq Ahmed's son buried amid tight security in UP's Prayagraj

The last rites of Asad Ahmad, son of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad, were performed at Kasari Masari graveyard in Prayagraj on Saturday amid heavy police security. Only a few distant relatives and locals were present inside the burial ground.

The burial lasted for an hour, police said.

Asad and his accomplice Ghulam, both wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, were shot dead in an exchange of fire with the Uttar Pradesh Police near Jhansi on Thursday.

Asad was the third of the five sons of Atiq Ahmad and was absconding since the Umesh Pal murder case.

Ghulam’s burial took place at a graveyard under the Shivkuti police station area.

Atiq questioned

Meanwhile, Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were questioned by the Uttar Pradesh Police in the Dhoomanganj police station, around 3 km from the burial venue.

When asked by reporters to comment on Asad’s death, his uncle Ashraf said, “Allah had taken back what belonged to him.”

“The last rites of Asad Ahmad have been completed, and it went for an hour. A few distant relatives of Atiq and some people of the locality were allowed to go to the graveyard. This was necessary from the security point of view,” Joint Commissioner of Police, Prayagraj, Akash Kulhari told PTI.

Strict security

Media was restricted from entering the heavily guarded graveyard.

Atiq had on Friday sought permission from a magistrate to attend the funeral of his son. His lawyer Manish Khanna had told PTI that since Friday was a holiday on account of Ambedkar Jayanti, the request had been sent to the remand magistrate.

However, the burial took place before Atiq’s application could be presented in the court of chief judicial magistrate on Saturday.

Speaking to reporters here after Asad’s burial, one of his distant relatives (grandfather) Hamid Ali, said, “A number of family members took part in the last rites. However, among the very close relatives, only his uncle (phupha) attended the last rites.”

All the rituals to be done before the burial of the body were completed at the graveyard itself, he said.

Ali also said, “We do not have any complaints with the administration, and everything was done in a good manner. Around 100 persons attended the last rites (of Asad).”

Atiq’s family

Among Atiq’s other sons, the eldest son Umar is lodged in the Lucknow jail, while the second son Ali is in Naini Central Jail in separate cases. The fourth son Ahjam and the youngest son Aban are housed in a juvenile home in Prayagraj.

Atiq’s parent’s remains are also buried in the same graveyard (Kasari Masari), according to Janu Khan, who claimed to have dug the grave of Asad.

Atiq is presently serving life imprisonment in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case.

Chief Medical Officer of Jhansi Dr Sudhakar Pandey, when contacted refused to divulge the details of the post-mortem report of Asad and Ghulam.

(With Agency reports)