As per senior police officials the identity of the three attackers who killed former MP Atiq Ahmed and his brother on camera have been traced as Arun Maurya of Kasganj, Lavlesh Tiwari of Banda and Rohit alias Sunny of Hamirpur.
Three pistols also recovered from the trio who raised Hindutva slogans after they were apprehended by the police.
While preliminary questioning, the three gave contradictory identity details of each other, say police sources. The three were kept separately and were being questioned by separate teams led by senior officers.
According to senior cops, the three individuals had planned the murder with attention to detail. They seemed to be aware of the risks involved and came prepared, even carrying an old video camera to pose as TV reporters. They blended in with the other reporters who were waiting to interview Atiq and Ashraf, cops said.
“They are said to have reached the site on motorcycles at least half an hour before Atiq arrived. They were equipped with sophisticated pistols and had fired at least 14 shots. Some live cartridgeswere also recovered from the scene which suggests that either the pistols had misfired or they were carrying additional ammunition with them,” TOI quoted a police official as saying.
“The manner in which the assailant pressed the pistol muzzle on Atiq’s left temple and fired the shot requires guts and something which a first timer is unlikely to carry out with the ease that it was done. Again as per initial reports, Atiq took the maximum bullets which suggests twothings: Either the assailants wanted to make sure that he did not survive by any chance or they were so angry with him for reasons best known to them that they kept on firing at him repeatedly,” the police officer 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.
Two days 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.
Atiq and two others were sentenced to life imprisonment and Ashraf was acquitted in this case last month.
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.”
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered a high-level probe into the shooting incident. The Chief Minister has also formed a three-member judicial commission to investigate the incident.
Atiq Ahmed who was a Samajwadi Party MP was brought to UP from a jail in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. He had alleged he would be killed in an encounter and requested the authorities to spare his family.
“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 tweeted.
