Banda (Uttar Pradesh): Journalist Zafar Ahmad whose house rented out to Shaista Parveen, wife of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, the accused in the Umesh Pal murder case, was demolished on Wednesday. In a video statement addressed to his fellow journalists, Zafar said that the demolition was carried out without any notice.
Zafar said that he bought the house with his hard earned savings in Banda in January 2021 through his brother-in-law Khan Saulat Hanif, an advocate by profession. Shortly after the purchase of the house, his brother-in-law Saulat Hanif Khan had given this house on rent to Shaista Parveen, who was not booked in any case at the time, Zafar reminded.
Zafar said that in the last two years after buying the house, he never went to see the house and his brother-in-law Saulat Hanif Khan is in possession of the keys and documents of the house at present. Zafar said that he had borrowed money from his brother-in-law Saulat Hanif Khan for the house due to financial constraints.
Zafar Ahmed appealed to the Banda district administration and police administration to get the investigation done in the demolition of the house without notice. On Wednesday, in the presence of heavy police force, the Banda administration demolished Zafar's house where Atiq Ahmed's wife and family were living on rent for the last two years in Kasari Masari locality of Chakia area.
The house was demolished in connection with the murder of Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal, and his two security personnel last week. On Thursday, the authorities demolished the house of Safdar Ali, an alleged arms trader linked to Atiq Ahmed. Following Pal's murder, Atiq Ahmed, who is lodged in Gujarat jail, his brother Ashraf, wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, and 11 others were booked following a complaint by Pal's wife.
