‘UP in grip of jungle raj’, ‘killing criminals never a solution’: Kapil Sibal, Nitish Kumar, Owaisi condemn Atiq Ahmed’s killing

The Uttar Pradesh Police has formed a three-member Special Investigation Team to probe the killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj.

By: Express Web Desk

Mumbai | April 17, 2023 02:06 PM IST

4 min read

Outside the Prayagraj hospital where Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were killed. (Express photo by Ritesh Shukla)

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Several Opposition leaders, including Mehbooba Mufti, Kapil Sibal and Asaduddin Owaisi, on Monday reacted to the death of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his aide, who were killed late on Saturday.

While People’s Democratic Party leader Mufti lamented that Uttar Pradesh is in the “grip of jungle raj”, Congress leader Sibal described Ahmed’s death as a result of following the eight steps of the “art of elimination.”

Sibal raised a series of questions over the killings, asking why the duo were being taken for a medical checkup by police at 10 pm when there was no emergency and why it was “open to the media”.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that killing criminals is “never a solution”. He added, “Police should have taken care of their security. UP government should think about the law and order in the state. The Court is there to provide justice, killing the criminals is never a solution.”

Former Chief Minister of Bihar Jitan Ram Manjhi said that his state has better law and order than the BJP-ruled state.

Meanwhile, JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh claimed that the killing of Atiq Ahmad and his brother exposed the “real face” of the BJP. “The duo were killed in police custody… This proves the collapse of law and order in the state. Why are BJP leaders maintaining a stoic silence over the issue? The BJP has been completely exposed… their leaders are not making any comments on the custodial killing. People will give a befitting reply to the BJP in the 2024 general elections,” the JD(U) leader said.

AIMIM chief Owaisi said that Atiq was the second former MP from the Muslim community to be “murdered without impunity”.

Atiq Ahmad (60) and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night, while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college at Prayagraj for a checkup. Their death came days after Atiq’s son Asad and his aide Ghulam, both wanted in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case, were killed in an encounter on Thursday at Jhansi.

On Sunday, the three assailants — Lavlesh Tiwari (22) of Banda, Mohit alias Sunny (23) of Hamirpur and Arun Maurya (18) of Kasganj — were presented in a district court and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days. According to the FIR, the three shooters told police they killed the Ahmad brothers to make a name for themselves in the world of crime.

Atiq Ahmed represented the Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency between 2004-2009.

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The Uttar Pradesh Police has formed a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the killing of Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf. In order to ensure qualitative investigation and time-bound action, a three-member team of supervisors has also been formed. This team is headed by the additional director general of police of Prayagraj. The other two members are the commissioner of police of Prayagraj and the director of the Forensic Science Laboratory, Lucknow, the statement said.

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