Who will claim Asad Ahmed’s body? This has become the million-dollar question since Thursday’s encounter of don-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son, especially when almost all of his family members are either in jail or on the run.
Atiq’s son Asad and aide Ghulam, who were also wanted in Prayagraj’s Umesh Pal murder case and carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh each, were gunned down in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in Jhansi.
Locals said Asad’s maternal grandparents or one of the three aunts who were not named in the murder of Umesh Pal may claim the 23-year-old’s body. Asad’s body has been taken to the mortuary in Jhansi for a post-mortem examination. At present, there’s no one in Atiq’s family to claim Asad’s body. Atiq, his brother Khalid Azeem aka Ashraf and sons Ali and Umar are all in jail while his wife Shaista Parveen is on the run with a reward of ₹50,000 on her head.
After autopsy on Friday, the police may hand over Asad’s body for burial, if anyone in the family comes forward to receive it. Generally, police wait for 72 hours for the family to claim the body. In case no one turns up, as per the procedure, police dispose of the body considering it ‘unclaimed’.
Atiq Ahmad has four sisters. Of the four, Ayesha Noori and her two daughters have also been made accused in the Umesh Pal murder case and are on the run.
Ayesha’s husband Akhlaq Ahmad was arrested for sheltering assailants of Umesh Pal and providing them financial help. One of Atiq’s three sisters, who is not named as accused or wanted in any case, may come forward to claim the body, neighbours in the Chakia area said.
Atiq has also sought permission to attend his son’s burial. “The court may grant permission to Atiq but it can also be denied on security grounds,” a police officer said.
If clerics are to be believed, as per Islam, it is important for the family members to perform last rites of the deceased. “Generally it is considered that family members should perform last rites, including giving bath to the deceased and giving permission for Namaaz-e-Janaza, which only the family members can do,” said Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali, Imam Eidgah, Lucknow.
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