In one of the videos containing shocking visuals of Atiq Ahmad and his brother being gunned down in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district, the shooters can be heard chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ while gunning down the brothers. Another video clip of the incident shows at least three persons shooting the brothers, as the police try to stop them. The three men have been identified as Arun Maurya from Hamirpur, Lavlesh Tiwari from Banda and Sunny from Kasganj.
Mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother were speaking to the media when the men started shooting at them at close range. The shootout was caught live on Hindi news channels. The assailants had come in the guise of mediapersons with one of them even carrying a mic along with an identity card. As journalists questioned Atiq Ahmed about his interrogation in the police custody, he began to say: "Main baat yeh hai ki Guddu Muslim... (Actually, Guddu Muslim...) ", but was shot in the head even before he could finish the sentence.
Meanwhile, prohibitory orders have been imposed in Prayagraj and other communally sensitive districts.
Pradeshik Armed Constabulary (PAC) and Rapid Action Force (RAF) teams have been deployed in Prayagraj and the bodies have been removed from the scene of crime. Atiq Ahmed's eldest son Umar is lodged in Lucknow jail, while the second son Ali is lodged in Naini Central Jail in separate cases. The third son Asad was shot dead in an encounter in Jhansi on Thursday and was buried in Prayagraj on Saturday. The fourth son Ahjam and the youngest son Aban are housed in a juvenile home in Prayagraj. His wife Shaista Parveen is absconding after being named in criminal cases.
(With IANS inputs)