Claiming that the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh had collapsed, Opposition parties on April 16 demanded a court-monitored probe into the killing of gangster-turned politician Atiq Ahmed.
Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead by three men posing as journalists while they were being taken for a medical check-up late on Saturday night, escorted by policemen. Three days earlier, Ahmed’s son Asad had been killed in an encounter by the U.P. Police.
While maintaining that criminals should be given the harshest of punishment, the Congress said this should be done under the rule of law, and subverting or violating the rule of law is dangerous for democracy.
“Whoever does this, or gives protection to those who indulge in such an act, should also be held responsible and the law should be strictly enforced on that person,” Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.
The party’s general secretary-communications Jairam Ramesh said in a statement that it should be a collective endeavour to ensure that the judicial system and rule of law is at all times honoured in letter and spirit.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) demanded the dismissal of the Uttar Pradesh Government, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) said the U.P. Government would have to face the outcome of this incident in the coming times.
Mr. Owaisi alleged that the U.P. Government had a role in the killings and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the matter.
“No officer from Uttar Pradesh should be included in the committee. This was a cold-blooded murder,” he said, adding people who were celebrating the killing were “vultures”.
Ahmed, a former Samajwadi Party MLA, had approached the Supreme Court for protection, claiming a threat to his life in a fake encounter. While dismissing his plea, the apex court had said “state machinery will take care of you”.
BSP chief Mayawati said Ahmed’s killing was “extremely serious and worrisome” and raises serious questions on the law and order situation in U.P. She said it would be better if the Supreme Court took cognisance of the incident.
“Now, instead of ‘rule of law by law’ in Uttar Pradesh, how appropriate is it that it becomes ‘encounter Pradesh’? Something to think about,” she tweeted.
Incidentally, Ahmed was accused of the murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal.
BSP MP from Amroha, Danish Ali, termed the killings “cold-blooded” and said, “This can’t happen without a go-ahead from the government. In any other democracy, the State government would have been dismissed for such a heinous crime against the rule of law.”
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said a deliberate atmosphere of fear was being created among people.
“When someone can be shot dead amidst a police cordon, then what about the safety of the general public?” Mr. Yadav asked. He said the BJP government would have to face the consequences in the coming times and the Chief Minister would not be able to escape responsibility for the “thoko (shoot down)“ approach.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banejee too alleged the incidence of “brazen anarchy” U.P. ‘’Such unlawful acts have no place in our constitutional democracy,” Ms. Banerjee said.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) alleged “official connivance” and demanded a high-level inquiry headed by a sitting judge of a High Court.
