Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot dead by three men while being taken for a medical check-up in police custody late on Saturday in a dramatic shooting outside a hospital in Prayagraj that took place amidst a posse of policemen and mediapersons.
Police said three assailants, possibly masquerading as reporters, were involved and the brothers died on the spot. The shooting was caught on camera as mediapersons were following the two being escorted to the hospital by police for a medical check-up around 10pm. No one else appeared to have been injured in the shooting from point blank range.
Police said all three assailants were overpowered by cops on duty and detained.
“Three assailants were present at the scene amidst journalists and opened fire from a close range, killing them on the spot. The three have been nabbed,” said circle officer Shwetabh Pandey.
Three people identified as Arun Maurya, Lavlesh Tiwari and Sunny, were detained, people aware of the matter said, but no official statement on their names was issued till the time of going to press.
Ahmad and Ashraf were speaking to journalists when the attack took place.
{{/usCountry}}Ahmad and Ashraf were speaking to journalists when the attack took place.
{{/usCountry}}The deaths came two days after Ahmad’s son Asad was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh police, which triggered a political storm with allegations that the state administration had staged the shootout.
“Nahi le gaye to nahi gaye (they did not take us, so we did not go),” Ahmad was quoted as saying in the moments before he was shot dead, in what was a reference to his son Asad’s funeral that was held earlier in the day.
Ahmad’s lawyer Vijay Mishra said the incident was shocking. “The incident is clear failure of the police in ensuring their security,” he said.
The bullet-riddled bodies of Ahmad and Ashraf, who was also known as Khalid Azeem, were taken away from the spot as tension gripped the area after the sensational crime, PTI reported.
Images and videos from the spot showed the two men, handcuffed together, on the ground with blood pooling around them. At least two guns were seen at the spot, which the police said were dropped by the attackers.
“It all happened in seconds. Atiq was answering questions of journalists and Ashraf was standing next to him handcuffed. Suddenly, a man shot Atiq in the head and before Ashraf could react, he too was shot. The assailants, two or three, kept firing at Atiq and Ashraf even after they collapsed on the ground,” said a policeman who was present at the spot.
Ahmad and his brother were brought to the city in late March from a Gujarat prison in connection with the February 24 murder of Umesh Pal, a lawyer who was key witness in a 2005 murder case in which Ahmad was accused.
Uttar Pradesh’s special director general of police (DGP), law and order, Prashant Kumar and other senior officers were called to the chief minister’s residence immediately after news related to the killings of Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf flashed on electronic media.
Ahmad’s wife Shaista Parveen, who was at large after being accused in the Umesh Pal case, also turned up at the hospital where the brothers were shot dead.
Including Atiq’s son’s death, there have been three controversial encounters connected to the Umesh Pal murder case.
Ahmad and his brother were in police custody since a local court allowed their remand for four days from Thursday afternoon (April 14) to Monday afternoon (April 17). The court had directed their medical examination to be conducted daily.
Ahmad was shifted to Prayagraj on March 27 after his petitions to higher courts seeking a stay on the shift — in connection with the Pal murder case — were denied. He had claimed a threat to his life in the state.
On Thursday, after his 19-year-old son was killed, Ahmad had said: “I am totally reduced to dust, but please don’t trouble the women and children of my family now.”
The incident reignited a political backlash. “Crime has reached its peak in UP and the morale of the criminals is high. What about the safety of the general public when some are shot dead amidst the security cordon of the police personnel? Due to this, an atmosphere of fear is being created among the public, it seems that some people are deliberately creating such an atmosphere,” said Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
“Any killing in police security raises questions on the state police which is already facing accusations of fake encounters. The state government cannot escape from its responsibility,” said UP Congress committee president Brijlal Khabri. A party spokesperson demanded a probe into the incident.
Ahmad was in the SP till he was expelled in 2005, and later fought as an independent candidate.