Reacting to the killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf, Congress leader and party's general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday said the law of the country is paramount and the criminals should be given the harshest punishment within the ambits of the law.
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Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in Prayagraj in full media glare on Saturday night.
In a series of tweets in Hindi, the Congress leader said, “Criminals should be given the harshest punishment, but it should be according to the law of the land. Playing with or violating the rule of law and the judicial process for any political purpose is not right for our democracy.”
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"Whoever does this, or gives protection to those who indulge in such an act, should also be held responsible and the law should be strictly enforced on that person," Gandhi said.
{{/usCountry}}"Whoever does this, or gives protection to those who indulge in such an act, should also be held responsible and the law should be strictly enforced on that person," Gandhi said.
{{/usCountry}}"It should be the endeavour of all of us that the justice system and the rule of law should be supreme in the country", she added.
Meanwhile, hitting out at the BJP government over the brazen killings, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra said the saffron party has turned India into a "mafia republic".
Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were being taken to Prayagraj's MLN medical college for their routine checkup as a mandatory legal requirement. The Ahmad brothers were in handcuffs when they were killed in full view of camera crews around 10pm. The horrifying videos were circulated widely on social media and television channels.
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The three killers, who surrendered and were arrested after shooting Atiq and Ashraf, will be presented before the magistrate. They have been kept in the custody of the police and questioned.
Atiq Ahmad was accused in the murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal in 2005, as well as in the killing of Umesh Pal, a key witness in the BSP leader's murder, in February this year.
(With inputs from PTI)