5 cops suspended after live TV murders of Indian gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed, brother

Five police officers have been suspended over the killing of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed during custody last Saturday in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The suspended officers include Station House Officer Ashwani Kumar Singh from the Shahganj police station, two Inspector rank officers and two constables.

The five cops have been already questioned by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the UP police. The suspension came on the same day as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conducted a meeting to apprehend Ahmed's wife Shaista Praveen and Guddu Muslim - the other accused in the Umesh Pal murder case.

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Atiq Ahmed was shot dead on April 16 in Prayagraj while he and his brother Ashraf, both accused in the Umesh Pal murder case were being taken for a medical assessment at the MLN Medical College which comesunder the jurisdiction of the Shahganj Police Station. The three assailants, masquerading as reporters managed to spray bullets point blank into the Ahmed brothers while police officers and journalists stood nearby.

According to a postmortem report, Atiq was killed after receiving at least nine bullets in his chest and head. The first bullet was fired at his temple which led to instant death. Meanwhile, Ashraf sustained five bullet wounds. One hit him in the face while four entered his body through the back.

The autopsy was conducted by a panel of five doctors at the Motilal Nehru Divisional Hospital and matched the visuals of the attack caught on cameras.

WATCH |Indian gangster Atiq Ahmed and his brother shot dead by assailants in Prayagraj, UP

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Assailants sent to judicial custody

The assassins identified as Lavlesh Tiwari, Arun Maurya and Sunny threw their weapons after firing over 20 rounds and were instantly apprehended by the police. As of the last update, the three shooters have been sent to a 14-day judicial custody by a court in Prayagraj

CM Yogi has ordered the formation of a three-member judicial enquiry committee to prepare a comprehensive report on the killings of Atiq and his brother.

Retired Justice Arvind Kumar Tripathi of Allahabad High Court, retired IPC officer Subesh Kumar Singh and retired district judge Brijesh Kumar Soni have been included in the panel and ordered to submit a report in two months.

ALSO READ | Explained | Who was Atiq Ahmed? Indian gangster-turned-politician shot dead on live TV

Ahmed was brought to Prayagraj from Sabarmati jail in the western Indian state of Gujarat for a hearing in the Umesh Pal case. Ahmed and his coterie of gangsters had indulged in the barbaric killing of Pal, who was a key witness in the 2005 Raju Pal murder case, in which he was charge-sheeted.

(With inputs from agencies)

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