Punjab power couple booked for son’s death, ex-DGP with ‘my way or highway’ motto and ex-minister wife: Who are they?
The high-profile case of Punjab has hit headlines with shocking details in FIR such as the deceased's claim of an illicit relation between his father and wife.
A former Punjab director general of police (DGP), Mohammad Mustafa, has been booked by the Haryana Police along with his wife, former minister Razia Sultana, in connection with the murder of their 35-year-old son Aqil Akhtar earlier this month.
Police earlier said Aqil Akhtar was found unconscious by his family at his Sector 4 house in the Mansa Devi Complex area of Haryana's Panchkula on October 16.
The high-profile case hit the headlines with shocking details mentioned in an FIR in the matter — such as Aqil allegedly discovering his father's “illicit relations” with his wife. The FIR was filed by a Malerkotla resident, Shamshudeen Chaudhary, on October 17, citing a social media post by Aqil in August.
Who are ex-Punjab DGP and his former minister wife?
Mohammad Mustafa is a retired 1985-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who served as the DGP (human rights) and was known for his uncompromising, “my way or highway” approach throughout his career.
- Mustafa retired from Punjab Police in 2021 and later joined the Congress.
- Mustafa was well-connected with the Congress, but his aspirations for the state police chief's post suffered a setback when Capt Amarinder Singh became the CM in 2017 and picked Dinkar Gupta, a 1987-batch officer, as the top DGP instead, HT has reported.
- In 2022, Mustafa courted controversy when he was booked for making provocative remarks during a speech. He allegedly threatened to disrupt rival political gatherings, citing his identity as a “community soldier”.
- Mustafa's wife Razia Sultana represented Malerkotla in the Punjab assembly. She was elected three times, in 2002, 2007 and 2017.
- Razia Sultana was a minister in the previous Congress government in Punjab until 2022.
Nothing suspicious at first
Haryana Police booked Mohammad Mustafa and Razia Sultana as well as Aqil’s wife and sister in connection with his death. After Aqil was found unconscious, he was rushed to the Civil Hospital in Sector 6, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Aqil is survived by his wife, a five-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter.
The police recorded the family’s statements and did not raise any suspicion of foul play at that time.
The body was handed over to the family after the post-mortem the following day and the last rites were conducted at their native village in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
How case turned, shocking charges emerged
In a turn of events, Shamshudeen Chaudhary, a resident of Malerkotla in Punjab, lodged a complaint on October 17, citing a purported social media post by Aqil in August in which he expressed threat to his life and levelled serious allegations against his family.
Shamshudeen Chaudhary also shared a screenshot of a diary and filed a written complaint with the Panchkula police, Haryana director general of police and chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, demanding a fair and impartial probe.
A first information report (FIR) was registered at the Mansa Devi Complex police station on Monday based on the contents of the social media posts.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Srishti Gupta said a case has been filed under Sections 103(1) (murder) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
'Illicit relations between Aqil's father, wife'
The FIR said Aqil had discovered illicit relations between his father and his wife and claimed his mother and sister were also conspiring to kill him or implicate him in a false case.
Chaudhary said the news of Aqil’s sudden death appears to have confirmed his claims.
What Mustafa said in his defence
In a statement later in the day, Mustafa said registration of an FIR does not mean that someone has been proven guilty. The investigation will begin now as the FIR has been registered, he said, adding in a few days, the truth will come out before the public.
He said that those people who got the FIR registered based on false and baseless allegations should also be prepared to face the law.
Mustafa told HT that Aqil was a drug addict and had been admitted to rehabilitation centres multiple times, adding that his addiction worsened over time even though he completed his law degree last year.
In 2008, he reportedly consumed acid, affecting his organs. By April last year, he had moved on to hard drugs like “ice”, the former DGP said, adding that his erratic behaviour led to them calling the police multiple times over the years.
Mustafa said his son had posted another video in October that contradicted the one shared in August.
