Atiq murderers did it to make a name, says FIR

A three-member judicial commission has been set up by Uttar Pradesh to investigate the murder of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf. Three assailants, posing as journalists, killed the pair while they were at a hospital in Prayagraj city for routine health examinations. The attackers were later identified and confessed to their crimes. Ahmad had 100 cases against him and was wanted for the murder of a lawyer in February. The deaths come two days after Ahmad's son was killed in an encounter with police, triggering allegations the shootout was staged.

Uttar Pradesh on Sunday constituted a three-member judicial commission to probe the sensational killing of gansgter-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf as India’s most-populous state remained on high alert and clamped a ban on large gatherings amid growing outrage over the murders amid heavy police presence.

People gather for Atiq Ahmed’s funeral in Prayagraj on Sunday. (PTI)

Posing as journalists, three assailants sprayed Ahmad and his brother with bullets at the Colvin Hospital premises in Prayagraj city at around 10.30pm on Saturday when police brought the two there for a routine health examination. Ahmad and Ashraf were talking to the media and were ring-fenced by policemen when gunshots rang out and the murder was captured live on video.

A first information report (FIR) registered on Sunday morning named the three men as Lavlesh Tiwari (22) of Banda, Mohit aka Sunny (23) of Hamirpur and Arun Kumar Maurya (18) of Kasganj district.

“During interrogation about the motive, the three assailants confessed that they killed Atiq and Ashraf to wipe out their gang and make a name for themselves in the state,” said the FIR, a copy of which is with HT. The three men were booked for murder, attempt to commit murder, using prohibited arms, carrying prohibited arms, and using arms without licence.

As questions grew about how the assailants pierced the police cordon in such a high-profile case or why dozens of policemen couldn’t stop three men, the government constituted a three-member panel, headed by former Allahabad high court judge, justice Arvind Kumar Tripathi, which will submit a report in two months. The panel also comprised former district judge Brijesh Kumar Soni and former director general of police (DGP) Subesh Kumar Singh.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath held a series of meetings with top officials through the day as Prayagraj wore a deserted look with shops shuttered and police personnel marching through roads. Mobile internet remained suspended through the day.

“Officers posted in the field should remain vigilant and strict measures should be taken to maintain peace in the state… police and district administration officers should ensure that common people do not face any problem, and ensure anti-social elements do not create any law-and-order problem,” said the chief minister in a press statement.

Ahmad and Ashraf, also known as Khalid Azeem, were laid to rest at their ancestral village in Prayagraj district. A post-mortem examination revealed Atiq received at least 10 bullet wounds on his chest and head. Five bullet injuries were found in Ashraf’s body. Dramatic video footage of the attack showed one of the assailants shooting Atiq on the temple and another opening fire at Ashraf. At least 18 rounds were fired at the spot, police said. The cartridges recovered from the spot were of 9mm calibre and fired from semi-automatic pistols.

The deaths came two days after Ahmad’s son Asad was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh police, which triggered a political storm with allegations that the state administration had staged the shootout. “Nahi le gaye to nahi gaye (they did not take us, so we did not go),” Ahmad was quoted as saying in the moments before he was shot dead, in what was a reference to his son Asad’s funeral that was held earlier in the day. He had just climbed out of a police van and was walking, his brother handcuffed to him.

Ahmad — a former five-time state legislator and former Lok Sabha member who has 100 cases against him — and Ashraf were both wanted in the February 24 murder of lawyer Umesh Pal, who was the prime witness in the 2005 killing of Bahujan Samaj Party lawmaker Raju Pal. Ahmad was a prime accused in the 2005 case as well. This was the sixth death of an accused in the February 24 case.

But questions mounted over possible lapses in arrangement by the police, with Opposition parties leading the charge.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said Uttar Pradesh was caught in the grip of jungle raj. “There is no rule of law and the Constitution here… the systematic killing (of the two) in the police security is the failure of the government. When someone in police custody can be killed, then it can be guessed how safe the general public is,” Yadav added.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said the killing was just as heinous as the murder of Umesh Pal. “Now, instead of ‘rule of law by law’ in Uttar Pradesh, how appropriate is it that it becomes ‘encounter Pradesh’? It raises serious questions on the law and order of the UP government, and its style of functioning,” she said.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the judicial system was circumvented to serve political interests in the case. “Those who advocate the bullet system and mob system only destroy the Constitution. Whoever interferes with our justice system for political purposes to intimidate and threaten someone in the society, he is also a partner of punishment along with the criminal,” he said in a series of tweets.

Police said the three assailants carried video cameras, mikes and media identity cards to pose as journalists and were later overpowered because they had underestimated security arrangements. Special director general (law and order) Prashant Kumar said the attackers used made-in-Turkey pistols and fired from point-blank range.

“Sunny is a professional criminal and has 14 criminal cases including that of murder, loot, narcotics transport, and attempt to murder in Hamirpur. Tiwari faces cases of selling illicit liquor, manhandling and harassing women,” he said.

But Ahmad’s lawyers said the police should have taken greater efforts to protect a man who had even approached the Supreme Court last month over threats to his life. “Police were not taking Atiq’s security seriously despite an appeal made to court to ensure his safety during custody remand. The court had directed the police to ensure security of Atiq and his brother Ashraf. However, only a few policemen were accompanying him when he was being taken for medical examination,” his lawyer Vijay Mishra said.

Former senior police officer Prakash Singh said without police lapses, the assailants couldn’t have gotten close to Ahmad and Ashraf. “Accountability should be fixed for the lapses and proper investigation should be done,” he said over the phone.