Prayagraj: In a shocking incident gangster turned politician Mafia Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead by assailants in Prayagraj on Saturday night, in the presence of the police and the media.
Atiq and his brother were shot when they were taken for a medical test to Colvin hospital in Prayagraj. Both died on the spot. According to reports, Atiq was shot in the head from point-blank range when media persons were talking to him.
According to reports, Three assailants fired over a dozen rounds at Atiq and his brother. Atiq had more than 100 FIRs in various cases, including the Umesh Pal Murder case. The gangster turned politician emerged as a local businessman in the 1990s and 2000s and he formed a crime syndicate, Gang No. 227. It allegedly indulged in extortion and land grabbing.
Both of them had been brought here for a court hearing in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case. Atiq’s son Asad and an accomplice were killed in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13.Their last rites were conducted earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, media reports claimed that Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has summoned top police officials including the state DGP.
Meanwhile, reacting to the killing of Atiq Ahmed and his brother, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has slammed the Uttar Pradesh administration saying that crime has reached its peak in the state. “Crime has reached its peak in UP and the morale of the criminals is high. When someone can be killed by firing openly amidst the security cordon of the police, then what about the safety of the general public. Due to this, an atmosphere of fear is being created among the public, it seems that some people are deliberately creating such an atmosphere,” Yadav tweeted a short while back.
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi also slammed Uttar Pradesh chief minister for “big failure of law and order” in the state. “Atiq and his brother were killed while in police custody and were handcuffed. Slogans of JSR were also raised. Their murder is a perfect example of Yogi’s big failure of law & order. Those celebrating encounter-raj are equally responsible for this murder,” he tweeted.
