Prayagraj: Observing that “the sinews of a nation are strengthened when the liberties of its citizens are protected”, the Allahabad high court on Friday granted parole to Mohd Umar and Ali Ahmed, the sons of slain mafia-politician Atiq Ahmed, to attend the burial of their younger brother, Abaan.Abaan, the youngest of Atiq’s five sons, was killed in a road accident in UP’s Jhansi on Thursday morning after his SUV crashed into a divider. His friend Sonu alias Zakir, 25, also died in the accident, while three others in the car were injured.The court directed that after the funeral, Mohd Umar and Ali shall be escorted back to their respective jails by the police.While granting parole, the court directed that, in accordance with the undertaking given by them, Mohd Umar and Ali shall neither address any public gathering nor interact with the media or post on social media.The court further directed that the duo shall not participate in any procession or attend any event other than the funeral-related religious rites at Kasari Masari Graveyard in Prayagraj on Saturday. They shall also not speak to or communicate with anyone except the religious person conducting the funeral ceremony, their aunt Parveen Qureshi and their brother Ahzam.Lastly, the court directed that the duo shall strictly abide by any instructions or directions issued by the police or administrative authorities at any point during the custody parole period.While Umar is lodged in Lucknow jail in connection with the Mohit Jaiswal kidnapping case, his second son, Ali, is incarcerated in Jhansi prison in an extortion case.The order was passed by a bench comprising Justice Ajay Bhanot and Justice Divesh Chandra Samant while hearing a petition filed by Parveen Qureshi, the paternal aunt of Atiq’s sons.In the petition, it was prayed that the HC permit the two undertrial prisoners to attend the burial and related rituals of their younger brother.Atiq was elected MLA five times from the City West Assembly constituency of Prayagraj. In 2004, he was elected MP from the Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency on a Samajwadi Party ticket. Phulpur is the constituency from which the country’s first Prime Minister, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected to the Lok Sabha several times.Atiq’s younger brother, Ashraf, was also elected MLA once from the City West Assembly constituency of Prayagraj.Three assailants shot Atiq and Ashraf dead on the night of April 15, 2023, while they were being taken for a medical examination at Colvin Hospital in Prayagraj, a mandatory legal requirement. At the time, both Atiq and Ashraf were in judicial custody in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case.
