Atiq Ahmed – The state of rule of law in Uttar Pradesh has been thrown into question after a convicted kidnapper and former member of India’s parliament was killed in front of a live TV audience, along with his brother, while being held in police custody in the northen city of Prayagraj.
According to authorities, Atiq Ahmed and the former state legislator Ashraf Ahmed were shot multiple times by gunmen posing as journalists on Saturday. The two were en route to a medical checkup at the hospital, accompanied by the police and in handcuffs.
The shooting incident led to the prompt surrender of three suspects who were heard chanting the phrase Jai Shri Ram, a slogan commonly associated with Hindu nationalists and their anti-Muslim agenda.
It is unclear if authorities are probing into any religious or ethnic motivation for the murders of the pair hailing from India’s Muslim community.
Ramit Sharma, an officer of law enforcement, informed the Associated Press news organisation that a trio of attackers masqueraded as members of the press whilst arriving on their motorbikes.
A representative of the police force, Prashant Kumar, informed the Agence France-Presse news organization that there is an ongoing interrogation of the assailants.
Lavlesh Tiwari, Arun Maurya and Sunny Singh have been identified by the police as the assailants. The three individuals originate from Uttar Pradesh.
Police incompetence
In a plea to India’s highest court, Atiq Ahmed claimed that his existence was in jeopardy due to law enforcement in the state led by the Hindu nationalist political organization, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Vijay Mishra, the lawyer representing the affected parties, expressed his dismay at the incident, labelling it a blatant disregard for the safety measures put in place by law enforcement officers.
Just a few days subsequent to the death of Atiq’s son Asad Ahmed, who was 19 and involved in a recent murder case along with an associate, the shooting took place where Atiq was present. The police opened fire in response to the situation and termed it as a shootout.
In 2019, Atiq Ahmed was imprisoned on charges of abduction. With a political career spanning four terms as a local legislator and a seat in India’s Parliament in 2004, he held a prominent position. He was reported to have confronted over a hundred legal suits.
Human rights organizations have accused Uttar Pradesh police of carrying out extrajudicial executions, commonly referred to as police encounters. The result of such encounters is the death of over 180 individuals facing charges in recent years.
Allegedly, police killings in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state and a residence to 200 million people, prompted concerns from UN experts in 2019.
The Association for Democratic Reforms, an independent watchdog, has disclosed that criminal cases are hanging on the heads of many Indian politicians, regardless of the political affiliation. In addition, roughly fifty percent of ministers in Uttar Pradesh are under investigation as criminal suspects.
Sorce: Al Jazeera
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