Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s brother Ashraf, who was killed in a shooting in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, had predicted his death two weeks prior to the incident, reports revealed on Monday. Atiq and Ashraf were shot at point-blank range on Saturday by three assailants who posed as journalists during their interaction with the media while they were escorted by the police for a health check-up.
The two jailed brothers were killed while still in handcuffs, in the presence of cameras around 10 pm.
The incident took place after Ashraf, on March 28 claimed that a UP police officer told him that he would be taken out of jail on a pretext and killed, as he spoke to reporters after being transferred to Bareilly jail.
“Kisi bahane se do hafte baad tumhe jail se nikalenge aur nipta denge. (You would be taken out of jail on the pretext of some reason and would be killed),” Ashraf was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
According to the HT report, Ashraf had claimed that false allegations were made against him, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath understood his plight as he had faced similar charges.
Speaking to reporters while in a police van, he also alleged that a senior official had threatened to take him out of jail and kill him. However, Ashraf did not reveal the officer’s name, stating that it was enclosed in an “envelope” that would be sent to the Chief Minister, Chief Justice of India, and Chief Justice of Allahabad if he was killed.
Hours before Atiq Ahmed was shot, the last rites of his son Asad, who was killed in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, were performed in the graveyard located in Ahmad’s ancestral village.
On Sunday, the bodies of the brothers were taken to the Kasari Masari graveyard under tight security for the burial. Ahmad and his brother Khalid Azeem alias Ashraf were buried in the graveyard and only a few distant relatives of the deceased brothers and locals were present inside the burial ground.
Police have registered a case under sections 302 (punishment for murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC and provisions of the Arms Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act against Lavlesh Tiwari, Mohit alias Sunny and Arun Maurya in connection with the killing of Atiq and his brother.
According to the FIR, the accused told police that they wanted to establish their identity in the world of crime by eliminating Ahmad’s gang. They also said they could not flee after the killings due to swift police action.
SIT Formed
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Police has formed a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the killing of Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj.
Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said the SIT was formed on the instructions of Prayagraj Commissioner of Police Ramit Sharma. “…In order to ensure (recording) statements/evidence of witnesses, compiling of records/electronic evidence, scientific/forensic evidence, examination carried out in the forensic science laboratory and to ensure impartial and qualitative investigation, this investigation will be carried out by a Special Investigation Team (SIT),” an official statement read.
A three-member team of supervisors, headed by the Additional Director General of Police of Prayagraj, has been formed in Uttar Pradesh to oversee a timely and high-quality investigation, according to the state’s Director General of Police R K Vishwakarma. The other two members of the team are the Police Commissioner of Prayagraj and the Director of the Forensic Science Laboratory in Lucknow.
After the shooting, the UP government constituted a three-member judicial commission to probe the shooting. The commission will be headed by retired high court judge Arvind Kumar Tripathi. Retired judge Brijesh Kumar Soni and former Uttar Pradesh director general of police (DGP) Subesh Kumar Singh will be the two other members of the panel.
Three out of four members of the Ahmad family, who were named in the Umesh Pal murder case, have been killed. Asad, Ahmad’s son, along with six others were named as shooters in the FIR. Apart from Ahmad and Ashraf, four others named in the FIR have also been killed. Ahmad’s wife and three other alleged shooters are currently on the run. Umesh Pal was a crucial witness in the 2005 MLA Raju Pal murder case, in which Ahmad was also an accused.
(With inputs from PTI)
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