Atiq Ahmed death: Killers of mafia-turned politician identified; what we know so far

Prayagraj, April 16: On Saturday night, former gangster-turned-politician 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 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. 

Three men have been arrested in connection with the murder of Uttar Pradesh gangster Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj. The attackers have been identified as Lovlesh, Sunny and Arun Maurya. Police constable Man Singh was injured and a journalist was also hurt after he fell during the commotion that followed the shooting. The attackers were immediately arrested and are being questioned.

Also Read: Jailed gangster Atiq Ahmed, his brother shot dead in UP

The incident occurred on late Saturday evening when the men, who were posing as journalists, shot Atiq and Ashraf at point-blank range while they were being escorted by the police and speaking to reporters. The attackers were immediately overpowered and arrested by the police, who recovered a country-made pistol, a knife and a mace at the scene.

Investigations have revealed that the three men had a personal grudge against Atiq and Ashraf. Ten empty cartridges were also found at the scene, indicating the number of shots that were fired. The accused have confessed to the crime and shouted slogans of "Jai Shri Ram" after killing the two men.

UP shoot-out: Judicial inquiry, Akhilesh Yadav condemns

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has formed a three-member judicial commission to probe the killing. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav has condemned the incident, saying that crime in Uttar Pradesh has reached its peak and an atmosphere of fear has been created among the public.

Ahmad, a former SP MP, and his brother were brought to Prayagraj for a court hearing in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case and were remanded in police custody. The last rites of Ahmad's son Asad, who was gunned down in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, were performed in Prayagraj just hours before the shooting.

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Ahmad was named in more than 100 criminal cases, including the Umesh Pal murder case. In 2006, Ahmad and his aides abducted Umesh Pal and forced him to give a statement in court in their favour. The Supreme Court had in April 2019 directed that Ahmad be shifted to a high-security jail in Gujarat after he was accused of orchestrating the kidnapping and assault of Lucknow-based real-estate businessman Mohit Jaiswal while in jail.

UP Police beef up security after murder

After gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed were shot dead in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, the state government has imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in all districts and beefed up security measures. 

#WATCH | UP: Police conducts flag march in Lucknow's Husainabad after the incident of Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf shot dead pic.twitter.com/PkNQmS24Vi — ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2023

Three people have been arrested in connection with the incident and are currently being questioned. Both Atiq and Ashraf were accused in the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case and the Umesh Pal murder case which occurred in February of this year.

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UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a high-level meeting and ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter, in addition to instructing for a three-member Judicial Commission to be formed. He also appealed to the public not to pay attention to rumours and urged police officers to be on high alert and ensure law and order is maintained across the state. A forensic team was also sent to inspect the spot of the incident.

Various political leaders from the opposition have reacted sharply to the incident, with All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi blaming UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the "big failure on law and order in Uttar Pradesh". 

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav said that crime has reached its peak in the state, while Sitaram Yechury and Congress leader Rashid Alvi have also condemned the incident. The advocate of Atiq Ahmed, Vijay Mishra, mentioned that police officials immediately caught shooters who fired at the criminals. Moments before their killing, both criminals were speaking to the media and their murder was captured on camera.

- With inputs from agencies

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