3-member judicial commission to probe killing of ex-MP Atiq Ahmad, brother in Prayagraj: Officials
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday ordered a high-level probe into the sensational killings of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Khalid Azeem alias Ashraf in Prayagraj, officials said.
Prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) have been issued in all districts of Uttar Pradesh to maintain law and order, they said.
Ahmad (60) and his brother were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup.
The brothers, both jailed in Prayagraj, were in handcuffs when they were killed in full view of camera crews around 10 pm. The horrifying visuals were circulated widely on social media platforms and television channels.
"The chief minister has constituted a three-member judicial commission to probe the killing of Ahmad and Ashraf," Special DG, Law and Order, Prashant Kumar said.
He said the three assailants were arrested from the spot and a detailed probe is on in the matter.
After the Prayagraj incident, the chief minister convened a high-level meeting in Lucknow and ordered the probe, Kumar said.
"Prohibitory orders have been issued in all districts of the state," Director Informaton Shishir said.
Briefing reporters in Prayagraj, Commissioner of Police Ramit Sharma said that the three assailants, who were arrested immediately after the incident, had joined the group of mediapersons who were trying to get sound bites from Ahmad and Ashraf.
"As per mandatory legal requirement, Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf were brought to the hospital for medical examination. According to preliminary information, three persons posing as journalists approached them and opened fire. Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were killed in the attack. The attackers have been held and are being questioned, " Sharma said.
In the incident, Constable Man Singh suffered an injury to his arm and a journalist was hurt after he fell during the commotion that followed the shooting, the officer said.
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Dalit outfits call state-wide hartal over dental student’s death
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Various Dalit organisations on Monday announced a state-wide hartal seeking justice in the death of Kannur Dental College student Nithin Raj.
The hartal will be observed on Tuesday from 6 am to 6 pm.
As many as 52 Dalit organisations, including Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council, have announced the strike.
Organisations requesting cooperation for the strike said that no vehicles will be forcibly stopped and that all essential services are exempted.
Raj, a first-year BDS student at a private dental college in Anjarakkandy in Kannur district, was found critically injured after falling from a building on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries.
Police have registered a case against two faculty members on charges of abetment of suicide and under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, following allegations by the student’s family that he was subjected to caste- and complexion-based harassment.
Kerala Pinnokka Samudaya Munnani (KPSM), one of the organisations supporting the hartal, alleged in a statement that police had shown apathy in the investigation and were attempting to protect the accused in the case.
KPSM state president K V Padmanabhan and general secretary S Anwar alleged that the probe into Raj’s death was being deliberately misdirected and delayed.
While the family has firmly alleged that caste discrimination and mental harassment by faculty members led to the student’s death, police were attempting to divert the investigation towards loan app borrowings, they claimed.
The organisation alleged that this was a planned move to shield the real accused.
KPSM further alleged that by deliberately delaying the arrest of the accused teachers, police enabled them to secure anticipatory bail.
They said there was no confidence in the present police investigation and demanded that the case be handed over to an independent agency at the earliest.
