Former AIMIM Adilabad president sentenced to life for killing ex-councilor

Adilabad: A fast ­track court in Adilabad on Monday sentenced former AIMIM Adilabad district president Mohommad Farooq Ahmed to life imprisonment for murdering a former councilor in December 2020. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the convict.

On December 18, Farooq had opened fire on a group of people using a country-made pistol after a scuffle broke out between two groups at Tatiguda. Three persons had been injured in the incident and a video of the shooting had gone viral.

Two injured persons, Syed Mannan and Syed Mohtesham were taken to Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) in Adilabad, while Syed Zameer, a former councilor of Adilabad Municipality, was taken to NIMS after he was shot in his abandon.

Zameer succumbed to his injuries on December 26, 2020. Zameer's son Syed Kaif, 16, had filmed the incident on his mobile, which was submitted in the court as evidence.

According to the police, clashes broke out between two groups on December 18. "A small quarrel between children led to a big fight among their parents. Farooq Ahmed opened fire using a country-made pistol during the incident. He also attacked them with his knife. Two persons sustained bullet injuries, while one suffered a knife injury," a special officer on duty had told NewsMeter.

Farooq, AIMIM's former vice-municipal chairman for Adilabad, fired five rounds, the police said.

He was booked under various sections of the IPC and the Arms Act. His license was canceled. Initially, Farooq was booked under Section 307 of the IPC (attempt to murder), it was later converted into Section 302 (murder). A few days after the incident, AIMIM dissolved its Adilabad town body unit.