Atiq murder: SO among 5 cops suspended after SIT begins probe

Uttar Pradesh government has suspended five police personnel, including Shahganj police station officer (SO) Ashwani Kumar Singh, for dereliction of duty in the murder of gangster brothers Atiq and Ashraf Ahmed in Prayagraj.

The five cops were suspended after the Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government to invistigate the sensational killing of gangster brothers Atiq and Ashraf Ahmed, started its probe yesterday.

"Shahganj SO Ashwani Kumar Singh suspended. SIT questioned all the police personnel, including the SO, yesterday after which this action was taken on the basis of the SIT report," news agency ANI reported.

Apart from Inspector Singh, the other four officers against whom action has been taken, include two Sub-Inspectors and two constables. This comes a day after the Yogi Adityanath government ordered the transfer of the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) who was present when the brothers were shot dead on Saturday.

The dramatic on-camera killings, amid heavy police security and presence of a posse of media persons, have raised questions about the competence of the UP police team escorting the jailed brothers. Despite a tight security, the assailants were able to get close enough to the brothers and fire from point-blank range without missing their targets.

The Ahmed brothers were shot dead by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night while police personnel were escorting the gangster to a medical college in in Prayagraj for a check-up.

The jailed brothers were in handcuffs when they were killed in full view of camera crews around 10 pm. The horrifying visuals were circulated widely on television channels and social media platforms. The last rites of Atiq's son Asad, who was gunned down in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, were performed just hours before his killing.

Video footages showed a man thrusting a gun at Atiq's head as he was talking to reporters and the former Samajwadi Party MP collapsing in a split of second. The footages also showed the three assailants firing at the brothers even after they had fallen dead. The bullet-riddled bodies were taken away from the spot as tension gripped the area after the sensational killings.