New Delhi: Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead on the night of April 15 in front of rolling cameras, while in police custody. They were talking to reporters outside a hospital on their way to a “routine medical check-up”. The suspects in the case were apprehended by the police and identified as Lovlesh Tiwari, Sunny and Arun Maurya.
The killings come just two days after Atiq’s son Asad Ahmed and his aide Ghulam were gunned down in an ‘encounter’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi on April 13. The duo were accused in the murder of Umesh Pal, a witness in the murder of Raju Pal, adding to the growing list of individuals connected to Atiq who have met violent ends in the recent past.
The situation has raised serious questions about the safety and security of individuals linked to the Ahmed family. These concerns have been further compounded by the recent statements made by UP chief minister Adityanath, who vowed in February to bury the mafia in the ground.
Several questions remain over these killings by the UP STF and the so-called ‘encounter’.
The images of the location where Asad was killed have gone viral on social media. The Special Task Force (STF) has issued a statement claiming that a British Bulldog Revolver .455 bore and a Walther P88 7.63 bore pistol were recovered from the suspects.
An FIR has also been filed at Jhansi’s Badagaon district police station, which states that two police officials had intercepted Asad and Ghulam while they were riding a motorcycle without registered number plates. The suspects reportedly attempted to escape by taking an unpaved road when signalled to stop by the officials, according to the FIR accessed by The Wire.
Ex-IPS officer raises questions
Retired IPS officer from UP Sarwan Ram Darapuri has expressed doubts about the positions in which the deceased were found. “This is unthinkable,” he told The Wire. “If the person got a bullet in his body, first naturally the pistol will slip from his hand, second his hand will go to the area where he got the bullet to control the pain because of shock.”
Darapuri also raised questions about the clean motorbike tyres visible in the photo. “If they fell from the bike since it slipped, then why did the two men fall on opposite sides, this is the first doubt I have,” he said. “Number two is that the tyre looks clean which is not possible in this situation, as they were running from the bike, and if they fall naturally then the ground must also have tyre skidding prints which we can’t see in any of the pictures.”
Darapuri has called for a judicial inquiry into the matter.
The Wire also shared the viral pictures of Asad and Ghulam, which have been circulating on social media, with an ex-serviceman. The UP Police has said that a British Bulldog Revolver .455 bore and a Walther P88 7.63 bore pistol were recovered from the suspects. Both men can be seen holding the guns in their hands in the pictures, but in one photo Asad can be seen holding his revolver and Walther P88 7.63 bore pistol can also be seen lying near him. The position of the Walther P88 7.63 bore pistol appears to have been changed in the second photo.
“If this has happened then I can say that the scene may have been staged. A CBI or judicial inquiry must be done,” he said.
Was it possible to arrest Asad and Ghulam?
“My questions is, how many bullets do they have in each guns? 6? 8? 10? They could’ve been arrested if police wanted to do so, as their guns have a limit of firing,” Darapuri told The Wire.
The first ‘encounter’ in the Umesh Pal murder case took place on February 27, when Arbaz, the driver of the SUV used by the assailants who killed Umesh Pal, was killed in Prayagraj. This was followed by the encounter of Vijay, also known as Usman, on March 6 in Prayagraj. Both Arbaz and Vijay were accused of killing Umesh Pal.
Ex-police chief Dr Vikram Singh has also hit out at the police and administration for the killing of a convict in police custody. He believes that illegal money from Atiq Ahmed was invested in Western UP builders’ houses, and they may have murdered him to avoid returning the money. Singh questions the police’s negligence and training in the incident, and believes that only suspending 17 officers is not enough. He considers the murder a “shameful incident” and believes “drastic measures must be taken to avoid further embarrassment”.
