The Uttar Pradesh government on April 16 set up a three-member judicial commission to inquire into the killing of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Khalid Azim aka Ashraf, whose last rites were held late in the evening amid heavy security.
Chaired by Allahabad High Court Judge (retired) Arvind Kumar Tripathi, the commission’s other two members are retired judge Brijesh Kumar Soni and former Director-General of Police Subesh Kumar Singh. It is expected to submit its findings to the State government within two months.
In the morning, the authorities suspended mobile and broadband internet services across Prayagraj and deployed security personnel in sensitive areas to maintain law and order. Soon after the murders, the police had invoked Section 144 of the Criminal Code Procedure, prohibiting the assembly of more than four persons.
Looking for motives
In the afternoon, a panel of five doctors conducted a post-mortem on the bullet-ridden bodies of Atiq Ahmed and his brother at the Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital’s mortuary, after which they were handed over to their relatives for burial services. These will take place at the graveyard where, on Saturday, the body of Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad — killed along with his associate in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13 — was also buried in the Kasari Masari area.
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While the police remained tight-lipped over the whereabouts of the three shooters — identified as Lavlesh, 22, from Banda; Arun Maurya, 18, from Kasganj; and Mohit aka Sunny Singh, 23, from Hamirpur — it is learnt that they were being questioned to determine the motive behind the murders. The police planned to produce them before a magistrate at an undisclosed location for further proceedings.
All the three have criminal backgrounds and had probably come to know each other while lodged in a jail. They initially claimed that they committed the murders to gain prominence among criminals. However, the police are trying to find out whether they had been hired for the killings and given firearms to carry them out.
Assailants posed as media
The police have registered a First Information Report against the three accused. Reconstructing the sequence of events, they have so far established that the incident took place at 10:35 p.m. on Saturday, when Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf were taken from the Dhoomanganj police station to the Moti Lal Nehru Mandaliya Chhikitsalaya (previously called Calvin Hospital) for a routine medical examination.
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Armed police escort team members were travelling in two other vehicles. They stepped out just outside Gate No.2 of the hospital. Some policemen surrounded Atiq Ahmed and his brother while they were entering the premises when some electronic mediapersons, who were already present there, attempted to get news bytes from the brothers. One channel was live streaming the coverage.
Police alleged that some mediapersons breached the security cordon to approach Atiq Ahmed. Among them were the three perpetrators, one of whom was carrying a camera and another a boom mic. As they drew closer, they threw away the camera and the mic, and drew out firearms.
‘Complete chaos’
“Escorted by policemen, the two entered the premises when some mediapersons confronted them seeking comments. Immediately thereafter, a person standing close by shot Atiq Ahmed in the left temple from close range. Shocked, I rushed towards the public toilet and fell on the floor... The assailants were shouting ‘Jai Shree Ram’,” said 45-year-old Vijaya Lakshmi, who lives inside the hospital complex, on the first floor of a two-story building housing the public toilet on the ground floor.
When the assailants struck, Sharif Ahmed, 48, was standing just next to Atiq Ahmed. “I belong to the Chakiya area where Atiq Ahmed lived with his family and close relatives. I came to know that the police were bringing him and his brother to the hospital and went to the Gate No.2 to have a close look when the first assailant opened fire. I ducked and ran towards the public toilet, having sustained a minor injury in the hand. What followed was complete chaos, as multiple shots were being fired from different directions,” a visibly shaken Mr. Sharif Ahmed said.
‘Why didn’t police fire?’
Atiq Ahmed collapsed on the spot. Ashraf, who was handcuffed to his brother, also sustained bullet injuries and fell on the ground. Within a minute, the assailants had fired 18 bullets at Atiq Ahmed and his brother. The policemen eventually managed to overpower two of them, while the third surrendered.
Ms. Vijaya Lakshmi’s husband Pawan Mishra said that he was away when the incident took place. “It is surprising how none of the policemen, who were armed, could get a chance to open fire in retaliation when the assailants were pumping bullets into Atiq Ahmed and his brother,” he said.
The three shooters were soon whisked away in a police vehicle. Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf were taken inside the hospital where the doctors formally declared them dead. After the news of the killings spread, tension gripped the area. All the shops in the locality were shut fearing further violence. On Sunday, most of the markets remained closed, with the roads wearing a deserted look.
