Atiq, brother buried in Prayagraj; shooters sent to 14-day judicial custody

The three men arrested for shooting dead gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed were on Sunday (April 16) sent to 14-day judicial custody by a Prayagraj court in Uttar Pradesh.

The three shooters have been identified as Lavlesh Tiwari (22) of Banda, Mohit alias Sunny (23) of Hamirpur and Arun Maurya (18) of Kasganj, according to police and they were earlier produced in court.

Atiq and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup.

Also read: Ex-MP Atiq Ahmad, brother shot dead in Prayagraj

Late on Sunday night, Atiq and his brother Ashraf were buried in Prayagraj. The bodies of the two brothers were handed over to the family members after conducting the post-mortem examination for performing last rites.

Amid tight security, the bodies were brought for last rites at Kasari Masari cemetery in Prayagraj.

Uttar Pradesh | Bodies of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed brought to Kasari Masari burial ground in Prayagraj where they will be buried.

They were shot dead yesterday, in Prayagraj, by three shooters while they were surrounded by bevy of police… pic.twitter.com/kqtaWfy9ir

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) April 16, 2023

The last rites of Atiq’s son Asad, who was gunned down in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, were performed at the same cemetery just hours before the shooting.

Atiq (60) and his brother Ashraf, both jailed in Prayagraj, were in handcuffs when they were killed in full view of camera crews around 10 pm. The horrifying visuals were circulated widely on social media platforms and television channels.

Also read: Atiq’s son buried amid tight security in UP’s Prayagraj

Officials said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has formed a three-member judicial commission to probe the killing of Atiq and his brother.

Rajesh Kumar Maurya, SHO, Shahganj police station said an FIR has been registered against them under sections 302 (punishment for murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC as well as other sections under the Arms Act.

Police said Lavlesh sustained injuries during cross firing, and was undergoing treatment at a hospital. Police had also recovered the arms used in the crime from the spot. Police constable Man Singh was injured in the incident as a bullet hit his arm, an officer said, adding that a journalist was also hurt after he fell during the commotion that followed the shooting.

The accused told police that they wanted to make their name and identity in the state by eliminating the gang of Atiq and Ashraf, and that they will definitely get the benefit in future. They also said that they could not escape after the crime as the police in a swift action got hold of them.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), on its official Twitter handle, dismissed rumours about the involvement of Bajrang Dal in Atiq and his brother’s killing as “misleading” and said the Uttar Pradesh government’s probe will bring out the truth about the murderers.

अतीक अहमद की हत्या में बजरंग दल का नाम लेकर अफवाह उड़ाई जा रही हैं जो, पूर्णतः भ्रामक हैं।
हत्या करने वाले कौन हैं इसकी जांच यूपी सरकार करा रही है। सत्य सामने आ ही जायेगा।

— Vishva Hindu Parishad -VHP (@VHPDigital) April 16, 2023

“Rumours are being spread in the name of Bajrang Dal in the murder of Atiq Ahmed, which are completely misleading. The UP government is probing who the murderers are. Truth will come out,” VHP tweeted in Hindi on Sunday.

Meanwhile, police patrolling was intensified on Sunday in Prayagraj’s Chakiya area where Atiq’s house is located even as the Uttar Pradesh police tightened security across the state.

Prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) have been issued in all districts of Uttar Pradesh to prevent any untoward incident.

Internet services were shut in Prayagraj district as part of the security measures.

(With agency inputs)