Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf Ahmad were shot dead at close range by three men posing as journalists during a media interaction while being escorted by police to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup on Saturday night. The brothers were handcuffed at the time of the killing and the disturbing footage of the incident was widely shared on social media and television networks.
Earlier on Saturday, Ahmad's son Asad Ahmad, who had been killed in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, had his last rites performed. Ahmad, a former Samajwadi Party MP, and his brother were brought to Prayagraj for a court hearing in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case and were remanded in police custody.
Follow Live Updates on Atiq Ahmad's killing
Top updates on the killings of Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf Ahmad:
1. Police commissioner Ramit Sharma told reporters that the three attackers, who were promptly detained, had joined the group of journalists seeking to obtain comments from Atiq and Ashraf.
Watch: Atiq Ahmed, brother shot dead on live TV in Prayagraj | Watch
2. The shooting was caught live on camera as journalists 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.
{{/usCountry}}2. The shooting was caught live on camera as journalists 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.
{{/usCountry}}3. 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.
4. Three accused identified as Arun Maurya, Lavlesh Tiwari and Sunny, were detained, the police said in a press note.
5. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath in a late-night meeting instructed the state police officers to be on high alert and ensure law and order are maintained across the state.
6. Yogi Adityanath also appealed to the public to avoid paying attention to rumours about the incident. The meeting at chief minister's residence was attended by UP home Secretary Sanjay Prasad, UP Police director general of police (DGP) RK Vishwakarma and other senior officials.
7. Senior police officers ordered the state police social media cell to monitor online posts related to the Prayagraj incident and stern action be taken against people posting objectionable content in this regard.
8. In the aftermath of the incident, Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed in all 75 UP districts.
9. Reacting to the incident, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said in a tweet in Hindi: "Crime has reached its peak in Uttar Pradesh and the criminals are unfazed. When someone can be shot dead amidst a police cordon, then what about the safety of the general public? An atmosphere of fear is being created among the public due to this and it seems that some people are deliberately creating such an atmosphere."
10. Reacting to the sensational killings, Subrat Pathak, BJP MP said, “What has happened in Prayagraj is a matter of investigation. Though the manner of killings cannot be justified yet, one must also remember that those who were killed were no saints. They were wanted in connection with dozens of cases of heinous crimes.”