The killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed while in police custody has caught the attention of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which has demanded reports from the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh and the Commissioner of Police, Prayagraj within four weeks. The NHRC has requested a detailed report covering all aspects leading to the brothers' deaths, including time, place, and reason for arrest/detention, among other details.
On April 15, the brothers were shot dead at point-blank range by three assailants posing as TV reporters while being escorted to a hospital in Prayagraj. The assailants surrendered and were remanded to judicial custody for fourteen days by the Allahabad District Court on April 16. This incident occurred two days after Ahmed's son Asad and aide Gulam were killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) in Jhansi.
The Supreme Court had earlier dismissed Atiq's plea for protection, expressing concerns that he would be killed by the Uttar Pradesh police in a fake encounter. A judicial committee headed by a retired judge of the apex court is set to probe the murder, with the matter set to be heard by the Supreme Court on April 24.
TAGS: Atiq Ahmed NHRC police custody murder Prayagraj Uttar Pradesh Supreme Court judicial probe.
