Atiq Ahmed-Ashraf Murder: NHRC Issues Notice To Uttar Pradesh Police Over Prayagraj Killings

Atiq and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists on Saturday night when they were being escorted by the police for a medical checkup at a hospital in Prayagraj.

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh Police in connection with the sensational killing of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in full media glare and amid heavy police presence in Prayagraj. In its notice to the Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh and the Commissioner of Police of Prayagraj, the commission sought reports from them within four weeks regarding the brazen killing of the two gangsters.

The reports should cover all the aspects leading to the killings, copies of medical-legal certificates of the deceased, inquest report, post-mortem report, video cassette/CD of the post-mortem examination, site plan of the scene of occurrence of the crime, and magisterial inquiry report, the NHRC added.

NHRC notices to the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh and Commissioner of Police, Prayagraj calling for reports on the complaints of the killing of Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf by miscreants in police custody. pic.twitter.com/bvCAXvAbKv

— ANI (@ANI) April 18, 2023

Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night when policemen were escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup. They were brought to Prayagraj from Gujarat and Bareilly prisons for interrogation in connection with the killing of lawyer Umesh Pal and his two police security guards in February this year.

The brothers were in handcuffs when they were killed in full view of camera crews. The horrifying visuals were circulated widely on social media platforms and television channels.  The last rites of Ahmad's son Asad, who was gunned down in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, were performed in Prayagraj just hours before the shooting.

Atiq-Ashraf Killed By Three Sharpshooters Posing As Reporters

Atiq and Ashraf were killed by three assailants, who posed as reporters, while the gangsters were being taken for medical checkups at Prayagraj medical college. The killers, identified as Arun Maurya, Sunny Singh and Lavlesh Tiwari, "wanted to become gangsters" and hatched a plot to kill Atiq, sources said. The police said they were in the process of ascertaining if someone else was also involved in the plan to kill Atiq and Ashraf. All three youths were arrested by the police at the scene of the shooting. 

Multiple Bullets Fired At Atiq, Ashraf

Atiq was shot at least eight times, with bullet injuries found in his head, neck and chest, according to preliminary results of an autopsy conducted on his body after his sensational murder caught on camera outside a hospital in Prayagraj on April 15.

Sources said on Monday three bullets pierced the body of Ashraf, Atiq`s brother, during the shootout that took outside the hospital where the police had taken them for a routine medical check-up. The gangster siblings collapsed on the spot after being shot from near-point-blank range.

According to sources, the initial post-mortem report said Atiq was shot 8 times while Ashraf took 5 bullets. "Of the eight bullets that Atiq took, one hit his head, one his neck, one each on his chest, stomach and waist," sources said. Both Atiq and Ashraf were buried on April 16 at the Kasari Masari burial ground in Prayagraj.

According to the initial post-mortem report, Ashraf was shot in his neck, back and waist, with the bullets piercing his body. The Uttar Pradesh government ordered a judicial probe in the wake of the killings. Uttar Pradesh Police also announced the formation of two special investigating teams (SITs) to probe the killings.