Lucknow: On Saturday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath responded sharply to Opposition Leader Akhilesh Yadav's attempt to corner the state government over the killing of a key witness in the 2005 murder case involving the murder of a BSP Legislator in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
Adityanath stated that his government will "decimate" (mitti me mila denge) the mafia and accused the Samajwadi Party of not just harbouring criminals but also promoting them to positions of political power as MLAs and MPs. Police here say that Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2005 murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal, was killed by gunfire outside his home.
On Saturday, police filed a FIR against multiple people, including former MP Atiq Ahmed. The former mobster turned politician is currently serving time in a prison in Gujarat. Phulpur's SP representative, Atiq, formerly sat in the House of Representatives (in Prayagraj).—Inputs from Agencies