UP: Key witness in 2005 BSP MLA murder case shot dead, 2 guards injured; CCTV captures attack

The attack on the witness was caught on multiple CCTV cameras.

Umesh Pal, who was a key witness in the murder case of BSP MLA Raju Pal in 2005, was shot dead by an unidentified man while he was getting out of the backseat of a Hyundai Creta SUV in Prayagraj.

CCTV footage shows Umesh Pal and one of his two police bodyguards getting out of the SUV when suddenly a man came from behind and shot him.

The police said some other men used crude bombs during the assault, which exploded in a cloud of smoke, leading to panic and chaos on the road with people running to safety.

Many abandoned their vehicles and ran towards shops.

Although Umesh Pal's bodyguard tried to catch the attacker, he too was shot. The second bodyguard also caught a bullet.

Pal, who appeared to be injured, ran towards an alley with the attacker in pursuit while his bodyguards lay injured on the road.

The attacker shot him there for a final time before fleeing.

Pal was taken to a local hospital, where he died during treatment, the police said.

Atiq Ahmed, a don and former Lok Sabha MP serving time in a Gujarat jail, is an accused in the 2005 murder case.

A murder case has been filed on Friday's murder.