Four people linked to Umesh Pal’s murder case, including Atiq Ahmed’s son, have been gunned down by Uttar Pradesh police. The latest operation was reportedly carried out to prevent a planned attack on a police convoy carrying Atiq Ahmed, and followed meticulous planning by the UP Special Task Force.

The police in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have killed two people reportedly linked to jailed mafia leader Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad Ahmed, as they tried to free their father during a court hearing in the Umesh Pal murder case. The operation, known as “Jhansi encounter,” took place on 15 April after the police received a tip-off and deployed two teams to intercept the father’s sons. While the police have claimed that they retaliated after being fired at, there have been allegations of extra-judicial killings. The incident has sparked an outcry, with opposition leaders calling for an independent investigation, and claims that it is part of a wider trend of increasing police brutality in the state, including targeting members of the minority Muslim community. Ahmed, who was a member of the Samajwadi Party before switching to the Apna Dal, has more than 50 criminal cases registered against him.