Police officials suspended after gangster-turned-politician’s brutal murder on live TV

Special investigation team finds police officers guilty of negligence

Five police officials in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh (UP) state have been suspended for negligence in connection with the murder of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother.

A former MP, Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range in an incident that was captured on live television over the weekend.

The brothers had been arrested in February in connection with the killing of Umesh Pal, a key witness in the murder of state-level lawmaker Raju Pal, who had defeated Atiq’s brother in a November 2004 by-election.

UP police officials were escorting the two brothers for a mandatory medical checkup on Saturday night when they briefly stopped to talk to reporters. The three accused posed as journalists before killing the brothers at point-blank range using semi-automatic pistols.

Among those who have been suspended include police station in-charge Ashwani Kumar Singh, a sub inspector and three constables, a senior police official told the Press Trust of India news agency on Wednesday.

The suspensions came after the formation of two Special Investigation Teams (SITs) on Monday – one to probe the murders and the other to supervise the first team.

The team formed to probe the murders found the police officials guilty of negligence.

The brutal executions in the presence of police officials, journalists and live television cameras drew criticism and backlash from opposition parties against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state government led by hardline Hindu nationalist monk chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

Ashraf Ahmed and Atiq Ahmed moments before being murdered on live TV (ANI)

Opposition parties accused the Adityanath government of breakdown of law and order in the state.

Just days before the murders, Ahmed’s son Asad and his aide were shot dead by UP police officials.

On Tuesday, the National Human RIghts Commission also issued a notice to UP police for the killings and asked for a report to be submitted in four weeks, reported ANI.

According to a report in the Indian Express, Ahmed, who was a former MP and state-level lawmaker, had over 100 criminal cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping and extortion among others.

Police records also showed he headed a gang of 144 members in UP’s Prayagraj city.