“It seemed scripted…”: Tejashwi Yadav slams UP govt over cold blooded murder of Atiq, brother

While condemning the cold blooded murder of former MP Atiq Ahmed and his brother, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav said that the killing of the duo seemed “scripted”.

“Even the assassins of a Prime Minister (Rajiv Gandhi) were put under a court trial. What happened in UP was not the funeral procession of Atiq Ahmed, but that of law,” Yadav said.

“This has been done for cheap publicity. The incident seemed scripted,” said the RJD leader.

Opposition parties have been stepping up their attack on the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government over the daring murder of Atiq and his brother.

“Eliminating crime does not mean killing criminals. The court is there to provide justice,” said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

“The police should have taken care of their security. It’s sad that they were shot dead at point-blank range while being taken for a medical check-up,” he said.

“I am shocked by the brazen anarchy and total collapse of law & order in Uttar Pradesh. It is shameful that perpetrators are now taking the law in their own hands, unfazed by the police and media presence. Such unlawful acts have no place in our constitutional democracy,” Mamata Banerjee had tweeted.

Reacting to the incident, former UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said in a tweet: “Crime has reached its peak in UP and the morale of the criminals is high. When someone can be killed by firing openly amidst the security cordon of the police, then what about the safety of the general public. Due to this, an atmosphere of fear is being created among the public, it seems that some people are deliberately creating such an atmosphere.”

“Atiq and his brother were killed while in police custody and were handcuffed. Slogans of JSR were also raised. Their murder is a perfect example of Yogi’s big failure of law and order. Those celebrating encounter-raj are equally responsible for this murder,” AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said.

Atiq Ahmed, the former MP, and his brother Ashraf Ahmed were shot dead on camera while they were being taken for a medical check-up in Uttar Pradesh’s Allahabad on Saturday.

Atiq Ahmed was seen in a television footage talking to reporters when at least two men with pistols opened fire on them. Three people have been arrested, the police said. The shooters came disguised as reporters, the police said.

The assailants were shouting Jai Shri Ram, a Hindutva war cry.

A week before, his son, 19-year-old Asad Ahmed and his aide Ghulam were killed in an alleged encounter by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force.

Asad Ahmed was laid to rest earlier on Saturday.

Atiq and his family members have been seeking court protection on multiple occasions, claiming that they are facing threats and their lives are at risk. Furthermore, Atiq has approached the Supreme Court to ensure his safety while in custody for the Umesh Pal murder case.