Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot by three men near a medical college in Prayagraj on Saturday night (April 15). The shooting was caught on camera as mediapersons had been following the duo. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered an inquiry and constituted a three-member judicial commission to probe the killing. As of Sunday evening, police identified the assailants as Lavlesh Tiwari, Arun Maurya and Sunny Singh, hailing from Banda, Kasganj and Hameerpur, respectively. They were quoted as saying, “We wanted to finish the gang of Atiq and Ashraf and become famous” since “this would benefit us in the future”. According to reports, police have tightened security across Uttar Pradesh, including in Prayagraj's Chakiya, where Atiq's house is located. Prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) have also been issued in all districts of the state to prevent any untoward incident. Internet services have been shut down in Prayagraj as part of the security measures. Here is what we know about the shooting so far. Atiq Ahmed, brother Ashraf shot on live camera A senior official told The Indian Express that the interrogation of Atiq and Ashraf was almost complete and, as per routine legal procedure, both were taken to the hospital under police security for a check-up before being sent back to judicial custody. The two got down from the police van on the hospital campus and were escorted by policemen. Both were a few yards away from the entrance of the hospital when mediapersons gathered to pose questions to them. Atiq had just started responding to a question, when a gunman shot him. At the same moment, another bullet pierced Ashraf's neck from the left side, and both brothers slumped to the ground. A policeman, too, sustained a gunshot as the shooters kept firing. ANI tweeted a video of the shooting (Warning: Disturbing visuals, please use discretion while watching). #WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Moment when Mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed were shot dead while interacting with media. (Warning: Disturbing Visuals) pic.twitter.com/xCmf0kOfcQ — ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2023 The bullet-riddled bodies of Ahmad and Ashraf were taken away as tension gripped the area. Both of them had been brought here for a court hearing in connection with the 2005 Umesh Pal murder case. Seconds after firing, the two shooters surrendered before the policemen were present there. Another youth carrying a bag on his shoulder also surrendered. Prayagraj Police Commissioner Ramit Sharma later said the gunmen had come there in the garb of mediapersons. According to ANI, Lavlesh’s father Yagya Tiwari, while speaking to the media, said that his son was “jobless and a drug addict”. “We saw the incident on TV. We are not aware of the actions of Lavlesh nor do we have anything to do with this. He never lived here and neither was he involved in our family affairs. He did not tell us anything. He came here five to six days ago. We have not been on talking terms with him for years. There is already a case registered against him. He was jailed in that case,” he added. Meanwhile, Sunny's brother, Pintu, told ANI, “Sunny used to wander around and did no work. We live separately and don't know how he became a criminal. We have no idea about the incident.” On April 13, Ahmad's 19-year-old son Asad and an accomplice, Ghulam, were killed in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13. Atiq and members of his family had repeatedly sought protection from courts saying they faced threats and their lives were in danger. A month before his son Asad and his aide were killed in an encounter by the Uttar Pradesh police Thursday, Atiq had knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court for protection in custody in the Umesh Pal murder case. BJP, SP, Congress others react to Atiq Ahmed's murder Hours after the incident, on Sunday morning, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said "violating law for political purposes not good for our democracy". In a tweet, she said: "The law of our country is written in the constitution, this law is paramount. The criminals should be given the harshest punishment, but it should be under the law of the land". हमारे देश का क़ानून संविधान में लिखा गया है, यह क़ानून सर्वोपरि है। अपराधियों को कड़ी से कड़ी सजा मिलनी चाहिए, मगर देश के क़ानून के तहत होनी चाहिए। किसी भी सियासी मक़सद से क़ानून के राज और न्यायिक प्रक्रिया से खिलवाड़ करना या उसका उल्लंघन करना हमारे लोकतंत्र के लिए सही नहीं है। — Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) April 16, 2023 Soon after the news of Atiq's murder broke, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav tweeted, "Crime has reached its peak in UP and criminals feel bold. When someone can be shot dead openly amid the security cordon of the police, what about the safety of the general public? An atmosphere of fear is being created among the public. It seems that some people are deliberately creating such an atmosphere." उप्र में अपराध की पराकाष्ठा हो गयी है और अपराधियों के हौसले बुलंद है। जब पुलिस के सुरक्षा घेरे के बीच सरेआम गोलीबारी करके किसीकी हत्या की जा सकती है तो आम जनता की सुरक्षा का क्या। इससे जनता के बीच भय का वातावरण बन रहा है, ऐसा लगता है कुछ लोग जानबूझकर ऐसा वातावरण बना रहे हैं। — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) April 15, 2023 Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Jal Shakti minister and former UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh, without naming anyone, tweeted in Hindi, "Bad and good deeds are accounted for in this very world." पाप-पुण्य का हिसाब इसी जन्म में होता है… — Swatantra Dev Singh (@swatantrabjp) April 15, 2023 Union MoS Housing and Urban Affairs and MP from Mohanlalganj in UP, Kaushal Kishore, put out a similar tweet, saying, "One reaps as one sows, so always do good deeds." जो जैसा करता है वैसा फल मिलता है इसलिए हमेशा अच्छे कर्म करते रहें। — Kaushal Kishore (@mp_kaushal) April 15, 2023 AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi alleged slogans of JSR, generally used as an abbreviation for Jai Shri Ram, were raised when the brothers were killed. "Atiq and his brother were killed while in police custody and were handcuffed. Slogans of JSR were also raised. Their murder is a perfect example of Yogi’s big failure of law & order. Those celebrating encounter-raj are equally responsible for this murder. n a society where murderers are celebrated, what’s the use of a criminal justice system?" Atiq and his brother were killed while in police custody and were handcuffed. Slogans of JSR were also raised. Their murder is a perfect example of Yogi’s big failure of law & order. Those celebrating encounter-raj are equally responsible for this murder. — Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) April 15, 2023 BSP leader and Amroha MP Kunwar Danish Ali said in "any other democracy the state Govt must have been dismissed for such a heinous crime against the rule of law". सब को मिट्टी में मिला दो! Cold blooded murder of Ateeq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf is the height of anarchy in UP! This can’t happen without a go ahead from the top. In any other democracy the state Govt must have been dismissed for such a heinous crime against the rule of law. pic.twitter.com/G2gqPS85xd — Kunwar Danish Ali (@KDanishAli) April 15, 2023 Who was Atiq Ahmed, and what was he accused of? Ahmed was a former MP and five-time MLA from Uttar Pradesh. His political journey began in 1989 when he won the MLA seat from Allahabad West as an independent candidate. After retaining his seat in the next two Legislative Assembly elections, Ahmed joined the SP and won his fourth consecutive term in 1996. Three years later, he became part of Apna Dal and once again won the seat in 2002. The next year, he returned to SP and became MP in 2004 from the Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency, a seat once held by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The first major setback for the politician came when he was named in the murder case of Raju Pal. According to reports, the incident took place after Raju defeated Ahmed’s brother, Ashraf, in an Assembly bypoll held in 2005 for the Allahabad West seat. “It was a big loss for the Ahmed family as the seat had fallen vacant after Atiq won the Lok Sabha seat from Allahabad in the 2004 general elections”, The Indian Express said. On January 25, 2005, Raju was shot dead near his house while he was returning from a hospital along with his associates Sandeep Yadav and Devi Lal. Subsequently, Raju's wife lodged an FIR against Atiq, Ashraf and seven unidentified people on charges of rioting, attempt to murder, murder and criminal conspiracy. Due to political and police pressure, Atiq Ahmed finally surrendered in 2008 only to be released in 2012. He then contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on an SP ticket but lost. Things worsened for him during this time as his relationship with the SP soured as Akhilesh Yadav distanced himself from Ahmed due to his criminal record. In February 2017, he was arrested by the police for allegedly assaulting staff members of the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences in Prayagraj. Despite being in prison, Ahmed contested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in 2019 and got 855 votes. According to various media reports, the 60-year-old politician is facing over 70 cases of murder, attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and assault. What is the Umesh Pal murder case? After Umesh Pal was killed on Friday (February 24), his wife, Jaya, told the police that he was an eyewitness in the Raju Pal murder case. Not only this, she also alleged that in 2006, Ahmed and his associates kidnapped her husband and forced him to give a statement in their favour in court, The Indian Express reported. Here is how Atiq Ahmed's family was implicated in the Raju Pal and Umesh Pal murder cases. Umesh and his police guards were shot at when they were returning home from a local court in Prayagraj. According to the report, Jaya alleged “Ahmed’s sons Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and others came from behind, opened fire and hurled crude bombs at them.” Umesh and the police guard were rushed to the hospital where the doctors declared them dead. Another police guard is in critical condition.
