NEW DELHI, Apr 16: A court in Prayagraj on Sunday sent three accused who allegedly killed gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf under media glare on Saturday night, to 14 days’ judicial custody.
The accused — Lovelesh Tiwari, 22, Arun Maurya, 18, and Sunny Purane, 23 — opened fire on the former MP Atiq and his brother near the entrance of the Moti Lal Nehru Mandaliya Chikitsalaya in Prayagraj when they were brought for medical examination on Saturday. The incident took place in front of TV cameras. The accused came posing as journalists, with mic ID and camera in their hands. In the incident, both the former MP and his brother died on the spot.
Internet remained suspended in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district on Sunday, and large gatherings were banned across the state, a day after the sensational killing of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed. According to the police, the three men have said that they wanted to make a name for themselves by eliminating Ahmed’s gang. They had planned the killing carefully and had followed Ahmed the entire day.
Atiq Ahmed’s body, along with that of his brother Ashraf were buried in their village in Prayagraj after a post-mortem. His sons performed the last rites.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held meetings with district police chiefs and other senior officials and asked them to ensure calm across the state. The government has not taken any action against the policemen tasked with protecting Ahmed amid growing questions about the lapses that led to the incident.
(Manas Dasgupta)
