Atiq's killing turns flashpoint between BJP and Opposition

And now a gangster-turned politician turned Don who lived and died by the sword is the latest flash point between the ruling BJP and the Opposition. After all, no democratic, secular and liberal party of this country could afford to keep quiet when a hard core criminal turned politician has been executed. For politicians like Asaduddin Owaise of All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Atiq is a 'Muslim-MP' who knocked the doors of the Supreme Court for his safety. He, Atiq, is neither an Indian nor a criminal for Asaduddin. For this gentlemen, only his religion is important and he would not identify him in any other way. No eye for eye business in democracy, he proclaimed condemning the murder and calling it brutal etc. Mamata Benarjee, yet another 'cleanest' politician in our country bemoaned the absence of rule of law in Uttar Pradesh under the Yogi government. Perhaps, one should follow the Bengal model under her rule which regularly witnesses shootings and lynchings of those who don't worship her and join the TMC bandwagon. Even TMC leaders and families have not been spared in the State and she prefers to call everyone who opposes her views 'a naxal'.

What else was CPM doing in West Bengal or in Kerala all these years? Leadership of SP, BSP, Congress and other anti-BJP parties not only remained silent or preferred low-key responses when innocent civilians were being killed in the country. Even Palghar lynching of sadhus is not a serious issue to them but the elimination of Atiq is the worst crime committed in the country.

Atiq himself knew the kind of gory end he would meet one day. He had admitted this in no uncertain terms to the media in the past during his interactions. But for people like Akhilesh Yadav, Umesh Pal's killing by Atiq's men is a failure of the State Government while the bumping off of Atiq and his brother is a calculated murder by the government. No amount of logic would justify this stand.

According to the UP Police, Atiq and his family members had more than 160 criminal cases lodged against them. According to reports, Atiq had 100 cases against him, while his brother Ashraf was named in 52 cases. Atiq's wife Shaista Praveen also has three cases against her, while the names of their sons Ali and Umar Ahmed figure in four and one cases, respectively.

In February this year, their names cropped up in the murder of Umesh Pal, who was a prime witness in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal. Umesh was shot dead on February 24. A lot has happened since Raju Pal's murder in 2005, and until Umesh was killed two months back. Yet, the very same politicians who allowed the crime empire of Atiq and family to burgeon mercilessly all these years and those who rewarded him with tickets in elections and vested more powers in him to perpetuate his crime are asking the government to be brought to justice.

Tomorrow if Dawood is taken down, they might even call for Modi's resignation. The very same politicians are now asking 'what do you call the killers of Atiq...terrorists or deshbhakts?' Well, if Atiq is just a 'Muslim-MP', the killers of Atiq could be anything. When the law does not protect the Aam admi from powerful criminals in the guise of politicians, he only celebrates such macabre twists to the story of a criminal. Atiq was a simple plain criminal by any yardstick and if one seeks to justify his activity, it tantamounts to abetting his crimes!