While the Opposition leaders have termed the killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf as a failure of law and order, Uttar Pradesh finance minister and BJP leader Suresh Khanna saw the incident as “divine justice.” (Also Read | On Atiq Ahmad’s killing, Babul Supriyo alleges, ‘crystal clear, police allowed…’)
“Yeh asmani faisla hai (this is divine justice),” said Khanna when asked about the killings.
Swatantra Dev Singh, another minister in the UP government and former state unit chief of BJP, said in a tweet, “Paap, punya ka hisaab isi janm main hota hai (one’s good and bad acts are settled in this lifetime only).”
Former deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma said the incident was a matter of investigation before “we can comment on whether it is gangwar or something else.”
“This is a sensitive issue,” he added.
When asked to comment on Swatantra Dev’s tweet, Sharma said: “I think what someone might have meant to say was underline a basic fact that good and bad acts are paid for in this lifetime. But I maintain that it’s a sensitive issue and one must wait for investigation to arrive at any conclusion.” (VIDEO | Moment when Atiq Ahmad, Ashraf killed in Prayagraj)
The shooting that occurred around 10pm was caught on camera as mediapersons were following the handcuffed duo, who were being taken to the hospital by police for a medical checkup mandated by the court while awarding their police remand in the Umesh Pal murder case. Reports suggest that the assailants were posing as journalists and opened fire while Atiq and Ashraf were speaking to mediapersons.
Reacting to the sensational killings, BJP MP Subrat Pathak said, “What has happened in Prayagraj is a matter of investigation. Though the manner of killings cannot be justified yet, one must also remember that those who were killed were no saints. They were wanted in connection with dozens of cases of heinous crimes.”
(With Bureau inputs)
