Atiq Ahmed killing: Yogi govt forms 3-member judicial committee

Amid coming under attack from the opposition parties over the killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmad, the Yogi Adityanath-led UP government has formed a three-member judicial enquiry committee to probe the case.

The committee, which is formed under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, will be headed by Retired Justice Arvind Kumar Tripathi of Allahabad HC, including retired IPC officer Subesh Kumar Singh and Retired District Judge Brijesh Kumar Soni.

The committee has been given two-month time to submit its report to the state government on the incident.

Days after Atiq Ahmed's son Asad was killed in an encounter in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi, the two brothers were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night.

The accused have been identified as Lavlesh Tiwari (22) of Banda, Mohit alias Sunny (23) of Hamirpur and Arun Maurya (18) of Kasganj.

Following the incident, the authorities imposed Section 144 of CrPc while shutting down internet services in the old Prayagraj area. Cops have been deployed at major places in Ayodhya.

Opposition Parties Slam Yogi Government
The leaders of opposition parties have criticised the ruling party over the incident. "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," tweeted Akhilesh Yadav, SP chief and Opposition Leader in UP Assembly.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her shock "by the brazen anarchy and total collapse of law & order in Uttar Pradesh." "It is shameful that perpetrators are now taking the law in their own hands, unfazed by the police and media presence. Such unlawful acts have no place in our constitutional democracy," she tweeted.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury demanded stringent action should be taken against those involved in the incident.

"Jungle Raj under BJP Yogi govt in UP. Its USP: Encounter killings, Bulldozer politics & patronising criminals. Enforce rule of law; apprehend perpetrators & punish them stringently," he said in a tweet