New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a status report on steps taken after the killing of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj. A bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Dipankar Datta also sought a report from the UP government on the police encounter of Ahmad’s son Asad in Jhansi.
Asad was killed in an encounter by a special task force (ST) team of the UP Police on April 13. Two days later, Ahmad and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as media persons when they were being taken to a medical college in Prayagraj for a health check-up under police escort.
The top court was hearing a plea, filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, who has sought an inquiry into the 183 encounters that have taken place in Uttar Pradesh since 2017.
Earlier this month, Uttar Pradesh Police claimed that it had gunned down 183 alleged criminals in encounters in the six years of the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government, including Ahmad’s son Asad and his aide.
The petition, referring to Atiq’s killing, said, “Such actions by UP police are a severe threat to democracy and rule of law and lead to a police state”. “In a democratic society, the police cannot be allowed to become a mode of delivering final justice or to become a punishing authority. The power of punishment is only vested in the judiciary,” the plea said.
AtiqAhmed-Ashraf Killing In Prayagraj
Atiq Ahmed, a former Member of Parliament from Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh and five-time MLA, and his gangster brother Ashraf were shot dead on April 15 by three men posing as journalists while they were being escorted by police personnel to a hospital for a checkup.
Atiq had over 100 criminal cases registered against him, including murder, kidnapping and extortion. Atiq and Ashraf were accused in the sensational murder of Umesh Pal – a key witness in MLA Raju Pal murder case of 2005.
Atiq’s son, Asad, who was also named in the Umesh Pal murder case, was gunned down in a police encounter on April 13.