'It's a coincidence...': UP Police after bomb hurled near Atiq Ahmed's lawyer's home

A crude bomb was hurled near the residence of one of the lawyers of slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed on Tuesday, the news agency PTI reported. The explosion occurred at around 2.30 pm in the Katra locality of Prayagraj. The police said Atiq's lawyer Dayashankar Mishra was not the target and the incident was a fallout of personal enmity between two youths.

However, the lawyer claimed that it was an attempt "to create fear and terror". He said he was in the court when his son informed him that bombs had been hurled. "I think this has been done to frighten me, to create terror. It is a big conspiracy... It is for the police to find out who is behind this," Mishra told reporters.

The lawyer claimed that his daughter and the locals saw that there was one person involved and three bombs were hurled. The police said forensic experts had gathered evidence from the spot and further action was being taken.

"The crude bomb was hurled due to personal enmity of two youths in Katra locality. It is a coincidence that the incident occurred near the house of one of the advocates of Atiq Ahmad, who resides in the locality," claimed Ram Mohan Rai, SHO of Kernalganj police station.

The incident comes three days after Atiq and his brother Ashraf were shot dead on Saturday night while being escorted by police in Prayagraj.

Internet services resumed in Prayagraj

Meanwhile, the authorities have resumed internet services in Prayagraj after remaining suspended for two days in the wake of the killing of Atiq and his brother Ashraf. Internet services were suspended by the authorities on Sunday.

Prayagraj District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Khatri said internet services were resumed as everything was functioning normally, be it markets or schools.

Atiq and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday.