The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday told the Supreme Court that it is investigating security lapses that led to the killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed in custody, reported Live Law.
On April 15, Atiq and Ashraf Ahmed were shot dead while being escorted by police officials to a medical check-up in a hospital in Prayagraj. On April 13, Atiq Ahmed’s 19-year-old son Asad Ahmed was killed in an alleged gunfight with the Uttar Pradesh Police.
The Supreme Court had sought a comprehensive affidavit from the Uttar Pradesh government on the steps taken to inquire into the matter. The direction was issued in response to a petition filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari seeking an independent inquiry into the killings.
The state government told the top court in an affidavit that it constituted a three-member inquiry commission, which was later upgraded to a five-member panel, headed by the Allahabad High Court’s former Chief Justice DB Bhonsle. The commission is yet to complete its inquiry and has been granted an extension till September 24, reported Live Law.
“On the basis of prima facie reports from the relevant ACPs [Assistant Commissioner of Police], four of the police officers present on the scene and the SHO [Station House Officer] of PS [Police Station] Shahganj, under whose jurisdiction the incident took place, have been suspended pending initiation of disciplinary proceedings,” the state government told the court.
The government said that a Special Investigation Team led by an additional director general of police is also looking into the matter. It added that a separate inquiry commission was also formed on April 15 to look into the deaths of Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad Ahmed and his associate Ghulam Hussain.
Last week, Atiq Ahmed’s sister Aisha Noori had also moved the Supreme Court alleging the state-sponsored murder of her brothers. The plea had demanded that an independent agency should investigate the “orchestrated campaign targeting the petitioner’s family” in order to prevent the government from “continuing with its unconstitutional programme of terror and to restore the rule of law”.
On Monday, a division bench of Justices SR Bhat and Aravind Kumar said that it will hear the two petitions on July 14, reported PTI.
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