PRAYAGRAJ The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday distanced itself from Rahil Hasan, the former district president of Prayagraj city unit’s BJP Minority Morcha and brother of Mohd Ghulam — a key accused in the February 24 murder of lawyer Umesh Pal. Pal was a prime witness of the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder incident, said party office-bearers.
Ghulam was on the run and the police were interrogating Rahil after detaining him.
Sirajuddin was made district president of Prayagraj city unit’s Minority Morcha in 2021-end, before the assembly elections of 2022. But later, Basit Ali, president of BJP’s state Minority Morcha, handed over the responsibility of city unit Minority Morcha to Rahil, said Ganesh Kesarwani, BJP’s Prayagraj city unit president.
However, nine months later, Rahil was expelled from the party due to indiscipline and the entire committee of the Minority Morcha of Prayagraj city was dissolved in September 2022, he claimed.
Kesarwani said Rahil had nothing to do with the party for the last six months.
The clarification came after a cash reward of ₹50,000 was recently announced on the shooters suspected to be involved in lawyer Umesh Pal’s killing. These included Mohd Ghulam, younger brother of Rahil.
