Opposition parties question Atiq Ahmed killing; BJP minister invokes ‘paap, punya’

https://twitter.com/swatantrabjp/status/1647288833258708993

Congress general secretary in-charge (communication) Jairam Ramesh tweeted, “HM does not stand for Home Minister but really for Headline Manipulator.”

HM does not stand for Home Minister but really for Headline Manipulator.

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) April 15, 2023

The Congress held a press conference during the day on the allegations made by former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik on circumstances around the 2019 attack on a CRPF convoy at Pulwama.

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, who had also questioned Thursday’s encounter killing of Atiq’s son Asad on Thursday, said that attempts are being made to “deliberately” create an “atmosphere of fear”.

The SP chief tweeted, “Crime has reached its peak in Uttar Pradesh and the morale of the criminals is high. When someone can be killed by firing openly amid the security cordon of the police, then what about the safety of the general public. An atmosphere of fear is being created among the public and it seems some people are doing it deliberately.”

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

Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary tweeted, “Is this possible in a democracy?”. He added the hashtag “jungle raaj”. The SP and RLD are in an alliance in Uttar Pradesh.

क्या ये लोकतंत्र में संभव है? #जंगल_राज https://t.co/gnLTwzB3a4

— Jayant Singh (@jayantrld) April 15, 2023

Lok Sabha MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi stated that people “celebrating encounter raj are also responsible for this murder.” He posted on the social media site, “Atiq and his brother were in police custody. They were handcuffed. JSR slogans were also raised. Their killings are an outcome of the failure of UP’s law and order.”

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

He also demanded the resignation of UP CM Yogi Adityanath. “We also demand all police officers present there should be removed from service,” Owaisi said, adding that the Supreme Court should investigate the matter.

#WATCH | I demand the resignation of UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Supreme Court to form a team and investigate this matter. We also demand all police officers present there should be removed from service: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Atiq-Ashraf’s murder pic.twitter.com/zRdm4Rxoxk

— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2023

Union Minister of State (Housing and Urban Affairs) Kaushal Kishore tweeted, “Jo jaisa karta hai vaisa phal milta hai, isliye humesha accha karm karte rahe (you reap what you sow, so your deeds should be noble.”

CPIM general secretary Sitaram Yechury told The Indian Express, “This has become a government of encounter raj and bulldozer raj. And without the state’s patent protection… such an incident in front of the media and the police to actually take place is not possible unless these are elements who are patronaged.”

BSP Lok Sabha MP Danish Ali tweeted that the “cold-blooded murder” of the two is the “height of anarchy in UP”. “This can’t happen without a go ahead from the top. In any other democracy the state government must have been dismissed for such a heinous crime against the rule of law,” he posted.