A video clip circulated on social media showing former lawmaker Atik Ahmed and his brother Ashraf shot dead on live television on Saturday as police escorted them to medical examinations in Prayagraj, both of whom died on the spot.
Moments before they were killed, the two victims were talking to the media as they were being taken for a medical examination when the shooting took place.
Press Trust news agency of India reported that Atik’s court appearance today takes place as part of the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case.
Umesh Pal was a key witness in the murder case of Raju Pal, a member of the Bahujan Samaj party, and he was gunned down at his home in Prayagraj last month in an attack reportedly planned by two brothers.
The footage shows people bursting into a crowd of police officers and shooting at close range at Ahmed and his brother, who fell to the ground while handcuffed.
It was revealed that three men disguised as journalists had targeted the two brothers at close range. Shortly after the shootout, the men surrendered to the police, with at least one of them chanting “Jai Shri Ram” or “Long live God Ram” – a slogan that became the battle cry of Hindu nationalists in their campaign against Muslims.
The bodies of Ahmed and Ashraf were moved after tensions arose in the area after the high-profile murder.
Uttar Pradesh is known to be under the rule of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Police officer Ramit Sharma said the three attackers arrived on motorcycles disguised as journalists. They managed to approach Atik and his brother under the pretext of recording their audio clip and shoot them at close range. Both of them were wounded in the head. As Sharma said, “It all happened in seconds.”
Atik Ahmed’s teenage son and another man were killed by police on Thursday in a shootout and were recently charged with murder.
Atik Ahmed, 60, was imprisoned in 2019 on charges of kidnapping. He was a four-time local MP and was also elected to the Indian Parliament in 2004. His lawyer Vijay Mishra said the incident was horrific as it was “a clear failure by the police to provide security” for his clients. Opposition parties have criticized the killing, calling it a breach of security.
