Global Courant 2023-04-16 13:55:33
A former Indian lawmaker convicted of kidnapping and charged with murder and assault has been shot dead along with his brother in a dramatic attack broadcast live on TV in northern India, officials said Sunday.
Atiq Ahmad and his brother, Ashraf Ahmad, were under police escort on Saturday night on their way to a medical checkup at a hospital when three men posing as journalists attacked the two brothers at close quarters in the Uttar Pradesh state’s town of Prayagraj.
The men quickly surrendered to police after the shooting, with at least one of them chanting “Jai Shri Ram” or “Heil Lord Ram”, a slogan that has become a rallying cry for Hindu nationalists in their campaign against Muslims.
Uttar Pradesh is governed by India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party.
Police officer Ramit Sharma said the three attackers arrived on motorcycles posing as journalists.
“They managed to get close to Atiq and his brother under the pretext of recording a byte and fired at them at close range. Both suffered bullet wounds to the head,” he said.
“It all happened in seconds,” Sharma said.
On Thursday, Atiq Ahmad’s teenage son and another man, both charged with a recent murder, were killed by police in what was described as a shootout.
Atiq Ahmad, 60, was imprisoned in 2019 after being convicted of kidnapping. He served as a local legislator four times and was also elected to the Indian Parliament in 2004.
His lawyer, Vijay Mishra, said the incident was shocking because “it is a clear failure of the police to ensure the safety of its clients”.
Opposition parties criticized the killings as a security breach.
