Atiq Ahmed murder live updates: Former Member of Parliament and gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed, and his brother Ashraf, were shot dead in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj on Saturday, 15 April, in the presence of police and the media.
The two were shot by three assailants while being taken for medical examination. The alleged attackers, identified as Lavlesh Tiwari (22), Mohit alias Shani Purane (23) and Arun Kumar Maurya (18), are now in police custody.
The murder was caught on live television as Atiq and Ashraf were talking to reporters when the firing took place.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called for a high-level meeting at his residence and ordered for a probe by a three-member judicial committee.
The police have arrested Lavlesh Tiwari, Mohit alias Shani Purane and Arun Kumar Maurya and have also filed an FIR in the case.
The killings come just two days after Atiq's son Asad and his associate Mohammad Ghulam were killed in an encounter by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UPSTF) on 13 April in Jhansi.
Opposition leaders Akhilesh Yadav and Asaduddin Owaisi have slammed the Yogi Adityanath government over these failures of law and order.
Former Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Atiq Ahmed was recently convicted in a kidnapping case. He was also an accused in two high-profile cases including the 2005 murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal and the February 2023 murder of Umesh Pal, who was a witness in the Raju Pal murder case.
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Bodies of Atiq, Ashraf Brought to Burial Ground Amid Tight Security
Bodies of gangster Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were brought to a burial ground in Prayagraj amid heavy police presence.
Atiq Ahmed's Killers Sent to 14-Day Judicial Custody
The three shooters who allegedly killed Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf have been sent to 14-day judicial custody, news agency ANI reported.
'Atiq Killed to Divert Attention from 2019 Pulwama Attack Revelations': Mehbooba Mufti
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti alleged that the murder of Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf was a "clever diversionary tactic" to shift focus from the "revelations" made by former J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik about the Pulwama attack.
In an interview with The Wire, Malik had alleged lapses in security that led to the killing of 40 CRPF jawans in Pulwama in 2019.
"Uttar Pradesh has slipped into anarchy and jungle raj. Cold blooded murders and lawlessness are being celebrated by rabid right wingers amidst slogans of Jai Shri Ram," Mufti said on Twitter.
3-Member Judicial Committee To Submit Report to UP Govt Over Atiq’s Murder
A three-member judicial enquiry committee will submit its report to the UP government in two months over the murder of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf.
The committee comprises of retired Justice of the Allahabad HC Arvind Kumar Tripathi, retired IPS officer Subesh Kumar Singh, and retired district judge Brijesh Kumar Soni, news agency ANI reported.