Atiq Ahmed being harassed by government, jail admin, claims son

ALLAHABAD: A day after a knife, cigarettes and mobile phone were recovered from the prison cell of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed in Deora jail, the former MP’s son Mohd Umar alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government was harassing his father ever since the former filed his nomination for the Phulpur bypoll.
Campaigning for his father in the city on on Thursday, Umar said the district jail administration in Deoria, where Atiq was lodged, had seized his father’s medicines and was not sending him to Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) or King George’s Medical University (KGMU), both in Lucknow, for treatment.

Umar said that (where) the doctors had advised him to be shifted to SGPGI on January 10 as he is a diabetic but he is still lodged in a Deoria jail. Atiq is contesting the Phulpur byelection as an Independent candidate.

Umar also said, “My father is directly contesting against BJP while Samajwadi Party is out of race. SP is a Team B of BJP and has intentionally fielded a dummy candidate in Phulpur.”

He added that SP had to export some of its leaders from Gorakhpur to Phulpur for the bypoll as the party’s local leaders were no match for Ahmed.

Umar said, “Voters in Phulpur are well aware about the fact that only Atiq Ahmed is capable of defeating BJP. People of all castes and religions are rooting for my father.”

Umar said that his father’s main aim is to defeat communal forces in Phulpur. The 19-year-old said, “Even supporters of Bahujan Samaj Party are joining us as the party chief Mayawati had given a call for people to vote against such a candidate who would be able to defeat BJP.”

Taking a dig at Akhilesh Yadav-led SP, Umar said, “When I met my father last time, he had told me this was not the original SP, which had been formed by Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav). Unhone kaha maine kabhi samjauta nahin kiya, chahe kitne bhi pareshani rahi ho. (He told me that he had never compromised with (my principles), no matter how difficult times were).”

Replying to allegations that SP was spreading the rumours that BJP had intentionally fielded Atiq Ahmad in Phulpur to divide Muslim votes, Umar said, “Everybody, including the SP cadre, knows the fact that only my father can defeat BJP in Phulpur.”

Atiq is lodged in Deoria jail in connection with Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences assault case.