an Indian politician and his brother are murdered while being interviewed on TV

2023-04-17 00:07:10

Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot in the city of Prayagraj. The attackers posed as journalists and turned themselves in after the attack.

A former Indian lawmaker convicted of kidnapping and accused of murder was gunned down along with his brother in a dramatic attack caught live on television in northern India, authorities said on Sunday.

Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf they were being escorted by police officers to a medical examination on Saturday night when they were shot at by three men posing as journalists in Prayagraj, a city in Uttar Pradesh state.

The assailants immediately turned themselves in after the attack, with at least one shouting “Jai Shri Ram” (“Praise Lord Ram”), a catchphrase that has become rallying cry for Hindu nationalists in his campaign against the Muslims.

Uttar Pradesh has been ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party, which also rules the country, since 2017. Since then, more than 180 people under criminal proceedings in India’s most populous state have been killed in so-called “police encounters”, which according to activists are actually extrajudicial adjustments.

Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were being escorted by police officers for a medical examination. AP Photo

After the attack, the state authorities prohibited gatherings of more than four people and cut off internet access and cell phone service in the city of Prayagraj. The government has also ordered an investigation into the case, which will be led by a retired judge.

Police officer Ramit Sharma revealed that the assailants had come on motorcycles, posing as journalists.

“They came close to Atiq and his brother under the pretext of recording their statement and shot them at close range. Both were shot in the head. It all happened in a matter of seconds,” Sharma said.

Videos of the attack became popular on social media. Initially it was broadcast livewhen the brothers were speaking to the press on their way to the hospital.

The attackers immediately turned themselves in after the attack. AP Photo

The state police, for their part, are facing severe criticism for the way in which the murder of Ahmed and his brother, who were in their custody, was committed.

The head of government of the state of Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, showed his concern for the freedom of the murderers to take the law into their own hands, “unfazed by the presence of the police and the media,” he said on Twitter.

Ahmed accumulated a hundred criminal cases against him, including assault and murder, and his popularity reached notoriety in the 90s, when he began a political career that led him to occupy a seat in the Lower House of the Indian Parliament or Lok Sabha. .

Source: AP and EFE

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