The empire of terror which took Atiq 44 years to build did not take even a minute to end. Within just 30 seconds, 8 bullets had entered Atiq’s body. So on the other hand, Atiq’s brother Ashraf, who was tied with handcuffs, was put to death by five bullets. In the late evening of 15th April, such a massacre was carried out which no one could have imagined even in their dreams. Although Atiq had been apprehensive many times about the fact that he is being taken from Gujarat to UP, but he might be killed there. These predictions of Atiq have been confirmed. Atiq is dead. But this story is not so much.
Allahabad and Shauk-e-Ilahi
To know Atiq, we have to push back the wheel of time and reach the era when the script of a 17-year-old boy becoming a criminal was being written. How a boy who shied away from studies entered the world of crime in such a way that he could never return. Before knowing the story of Ateeq, we also have to know the name that made Ateeq Ahmed the new king of the crime world. That name was- Shauk-e-Ilahi i.e. Chand Baba.
It is about November 1984, Allahabad was battling law and administrative chaos after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. During this period, a Baba is murdered in the Chowk area of the city. Baba was called a quack. A boy named Chand killed Baba to avenge his brother’s death. In that era of 1984, there was already a political upheaval, in such a situation, due to this massacre, the hands and feet of the police swelled. That’s why the police arrested Chand, who killed Baba by fighting all the mechanisms and sent him to Naini jail.
But this story was not over yet, Chand came out of jail on bail after some time and completed the work of his brother’s friend in Thatheri market of Chowk itself. This attack was done with bombs. Right after this, Chand blew up a lawyer in connection with money transactions. Allahabad had become witness to a new gangster. A new boy who used to bomb his opponents. When Chand committed three back-to-back murders, he was considered the new leader in the world of crime. Chand’s first victim was a baba, so Chand got its new name, ‘Chand Baba’ by associating it with him.
Chand Baba: Gangster or Robinhood?
Chand Baba’s story was no less than a film character, the more Chand was recorded as a dreaded criminal, the more his kindness was discussed. Even today, if people visit the Sabzi Mandi locality of Allahabad (Prayagraj) and listen to his stories, then people do not fail to call him Robinhood. Chand Baba’s generous personality was equally discussed. One of the stories heard from the local people is that Chand Baba had vacated a brothel in Rani Mandi, Chowk on the request of the people living in the area. After which Chand Baba, a criminal in the eyes of the police, went on to become an icon in the eyes of the people.
Due to such popularity, Chand also got political protection. Political faces kept coming to the house of a boy who had entered the world of crime. Meanwhile, in June 1988, a new Kotwal Navrang Singh at Chowk Kotwali decided to arrest Chand Baba as soon as he took charge. Complete planning was done as to how the dreaded gangster of Allahabad would be brought behind the bars. Without anyone getting a clue, Navrang Singh laid siege to the Chowk area. But Chand Baba managed to break this circle.
Chand Baba was furious with this action of the police and as soon as he broke the cordon, he attacked the police station the same night. In anger, Chand Baba hurled bombs at the police station. It is said that people did not forget that night for many years, so much noise of exploding bombs that no one could sleep the whole night. This was a specialty of Chand Baba and also an identity that he was also a bomber, such a bomber that he used to make bombs anytime anywhere. Once in the jail, when the jail superintendent expressed his disagreement on any demand of Chand, he attacked the superintendent by making a crude bomb in the jail itself. However, the jail superintendent was saved in this attack.
However, when the Kotwali incident took place in the year 1988, after that Chand Baba surrendered on the advice of his colleagues. And presented his claim in the corporation elections from Naini jail itself. It was such a claim that it was also won. Chand Baba came out of jail after winning the election and that day he rode in an open jeep of Atiq Ahmed. Atiq and Chand Baba were seen together that day. Such a grand road show from Jail to Sabzi Mandi that the spectators kept counting the number of vehicles.
After this road show, it was believed that Atiq and Chand Baba are together, we are kings, they are good companions from the world of crime as well as in common life. But it did not take many days for this illusion to break. Within a year, Allahabad once again saw such a gang war which gave the district a new boss, named Atiq Ahmed. The same Atiq Ahmed who after a while became MLA and from MLA to MP. Amidst all the allegations, many characters and many stories were associated with Atiq in his journey to reach the temple of democracy.
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