Samajwadi Party MP Atiq Ahmed, the prime accused in legislator Raju Pal's murder, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into six cases registered against him by the Mayawati government.
Ahmed, who has been declared a proclaimed offender in Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Pal's murder case by a trial court in Allahabad, said his life was under threat and sought a direction to the Uttar Pradesh government for ensuring his safety and security.
He has submitted that in the subsequent FIRs registered against him in connection with the Pal murder case, the state police should not be granted permission to take him into custody and instead he should be handed over to any other agency.
The MP from Phoolpur in Allahabad district contended that after taking oath, Mayawati not only recommended a CBI probe in the Pal murder case in which he and his brother are accused, but also registered six FIRs within a span of two weeks from July 5 to July 19.
The petition, filed through advocates Manoj Goel and Shuvodeep Roy, alleges that the state government has resorted to harassment of Ahmed's close relatives and friends and his advocate was being openly threatened not to defend him in the court.
Terming the UP government's action as 'state sponsored terror' unleashed against him, Goel said not only Ahmed's constituency raided, but his 82-year-old-father, wife and children were also being terrorised and harassed.
Ahmed was declared a proclaimed offender in a procedure of beating of drums and by procession which was common in British period but unprecedented in free India, the petition said.
© 2024 Rediff.com -