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The on-camera killings of jailed gangster Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf at Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj late on Saturday evoked sharp reactions from leaders of many opposition parties, including the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, BSP, Rashtriya Lok Dal, and AIMIM.
While no official statement was made by the ruling BJP, state minister Swatantra Dev Singh tweeted, “Paap aur punya ka hisaab isi janam mein hota hai (sin and virtue are accounted for in this lifetime).”
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.”
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.”
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.
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.”
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.
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.
