‘Why do they speak for mafia?’: Anurag Thakur slams opposition for criticising Atiq, Ashraf killings

Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at nearly point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in Prayagraj on Saturday night.

Union minister Anurag Thakur on Monday night slammed the opposition for criticising the killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf. “These same mafia leaders used to attack common people, kill and loot them, but we never heard any of these politicians speaking against it,” the union minister told the media.

Union minister of information broadcasting and sports and youth affairs, Anurag Thakur. (Twitter/Anurag Thakur)

'…Because they (politicians) used to visit their (mafia) houses…these politicians protected mafia leaders during their regime," Thakur alleged.

He then asked, “The question is, why do they speak for the mafia?”

Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at nearly point-blank range in full media glare by three men posing as journalists in Prayagraj on Saturday night while they were being taken for a medical examination.

Their killers - identified as Sunny Singh, Lavlesh Tiwari, and Arun Maurya - immediately surrendered and were arrested. The three assailants were shifted from Prayagraj’s Naini Central Jail to the Pratapgarh district jail on Monday.

On Sunday night, the Ahmad brothers were buried at Kasari Masari graveyard on the outskirts of Chakia locality - the same place where Atiq's son Asad was buried after he was killed in an encounter in UP's Jhansi.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh police on Monday formed a three-member special investigation team (SIT) to probe the killing of the two gangster brothers. The team will be headed by Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Satish Chandra, and include Satendra Prasad Tiwari, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kotwali), and Inspector Om Prakash from the Investigation Cell of Prayagraj Police's Crime Branch.