The attack took place inside a room of this Bijnor court on Tuesday.

BIJNOR: A gangster accused of killing a BSP functionary was shot inside a Bijnor courtroom on Tuesday when a hearing in the case was going on.

The chief judicial magistrate who was presiding over the court had a narrow escape as he dodged the bullets and was later rescued from his chamber. Three assailants — including the minor son of the slain BSP politician Ehsan Ahmad — were arrested from the spot. In the commotion, the second accused in the murder case escaped from the courtroom.

The two undertrials - Shahnawaz Ansari and Jabbar Ahmad- were accused of killing Ehsan Ahmad and his nephew Shadab on May 28 this year. They had been brought from Delhi for a hearing in the case on Tuesday. Delhi Police had arrested them in October this year for their involvement in several other cases in the national capital. The two had been lodged in Tihar Jail .

Ahmad’s minor son who is a class XI student and his two aides - Sumit and Afaraz - were already inside the courtroom when the CJM was hearing the case. There were several personnel of UP police and a team of Delhi police comprising seven cops - including two commandos - in and around the courtroom at the time of attack.

According to eyewitness accounts, the three assailants entered the courtroom some minutes before the arrival of Shahnawaz and Jabbar. The moment the court proceedings started, the three started firing indiscriminately at Shahnawaz and Jabbar, who were sitting in chairs.

As they fired targeting the two accused, Shahnawaz died on the spot. A UP Police constable Manish Kumar jumped to get hold of one of the assailants and sustained bullet injuries but he did not let him go. Two other constables, Vikas Kumar and Ravi Panwar, cordoned off the courtroom and locked the gates.

In the meanwhile, the CJM barged inside his chamber to save his life after one bullet missed him narrowly. An injured Manish was referred to a Meerut hospital where he was said to be out of danger. Taking advantage of the melee, Jabbar escaped from the courtroom and police launched a search operation to nab him.

After getting information about the attack, heavy police force rushed to the scene and arrested the three assailants. “If the gate had not been locked, the assailants would have escaped like Jabbar,” said SP (rural) Vishvajeet Shrivastava. “Our constables put their life at risk and arrested the assailants. We have watched CCTV footage which are showing their brave deeds,” he added.

UP DGP OP Singh called it a revenge killing but added that murder inside the court premises was a matter of grave concern. “Three assailants, including the son of Ehsan Ahmad, have been arrested. It is clear that he has taken revenge of his father’s murder,” he told media persons.

Ehsan Ahmad, who was party in charge of Najibabad assembly constituency, and his nephew were shot by criminals allegedly hired by Shahnawaz, who was facing 21 criminal cases, including that of murder and attempts to murder. His close aide, Jabbar, is also facing nine criminal cases. In all, 12 people had been arrested for the murder of Ahmad and his nephew. Shahnawaz and Jabbar were arrested by Delhi Police for their role in some other cases.

According to sources, Shahnawaz and Ehsan were rivals, engaged in purchasing disputed properties at throwaway prices and selling them at higher prices. But, Ehsan had political connection which Shahnawaz envied. Police officers claimed that Shahnawaz had links with mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari . Before Shahnawaz and Jabbar were arrested in Delhi on October 11, UP Police had announced a reward of Rs 25,000 on their heads.

“Shahnawaz wanted to become an MLA from Najibabad seat,” a source said, adding that it led to intense rivalry between the two as Ahmad was also a strong contender from the same seat. “Shahnawaz lured local criminals by assuring them house and money to kill Ehsan Ahmad. Jabbar was also one of them,” a policeman said. But, this rivalry claimed the lives of both the men, he added.

“The entire court premises has been cordoned off. Jabbar is missing and we will soon find him,” said Bijnor SP Sanjeev Tyagi.

The broad daylight murder in court prompted Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to attack the Yogi Adityanath government on the law and order situation. Five months ago, the newly elected chairperson of UP Bar Council was shot in the premises of Agra district court.

“The daylight murder of an accused in front of a judge in Bijnor shows how much impact 'encounter wali sarkar' has on criminals. When the honourable judge has to flee to save his life, the talk of security for common man has no meaning. This is the state of double engine government,” Yadav tweeted.

