“It was not possible for this plan to have been implemented without the complicity of the party in government," RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary told The Quint, in the hours after the murder of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf, on Saturday, 15 April.
Ahmed and his brother were shot dead in Prayagraj on Saturday, in the presence of police personnel and the media. A brutal video of the two men being shot at while they spoke to reporters has gone viral.
Commenting on the same, Chaudhary said:
"I have faith in the UP police, I do not blame them for whatever has happened. If you look at the video, it is not as if the police who are there are trying to kill him, they are just not aware what is happening. The question is how was intelligence shared as to what his (Ahmed’s) movements are."
"There has to be someone in the government or the administration who is involved, otherwise, this murder would not have been possible," Chaudhary added.
On being asked if he thinks the police can get to the bottom of the murder and bring out whatever the truth may be of what happened, Chaudhary said that he does not.
He also alleged that the Chief Minister of the state, Yogi Adityanath was "encouraging encounters" via his speech in the Vidhan Sabha (in which he had, as per India Today, said the "mafia will be destroyed") and the "language and the tonality of his campaign, political and social."
As per him, the incident needs a larger enquiry and also that "it befits the governor to step in because this is enough grounds for President’s rule."
'Atiq Was No Gandhi, But He Too Deserved Justice'
However, the RLD chief did find it pertinent to clarify:
“We have no solidarity with Atiq Ahmed, given his long career in crime. He was no Gandhi."
But, Chaudhary added, that he too deserved justice.
And what would be the next step for Jayant Chaudhary's party, as part of the larger opposition coalition in UP?
"Give us some time. Problem is Atiq is not the only case. There are many cases. The unique thing about this case is that there was a video. Fortunately, there were media persons capturing everything."
Previously, on Thursday, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF) killed Atiq Ahmed's son Asad Ahmed, and his aide Ghulam in an encounter in UP’s Jhansi.
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