The irony of the horrific custody killing of Atiq Ahmed, the UP don-turned-politician and former Member of Parliament along with his brother Ashraf in the presence of police by three criminals is that the two brothers had sought help from the courts for their security while in custody. What is worse is that the Supreme Court had told Atiq that the “state machinery will take care of you.” This is a poor commentary not only on the country’s judicial system but also on the governance system. Subsequent events leading to the killing of the two brothers put the spotlight on the criminal-politician nexus and the seeming connivance of the state and the police to let the laws of the land be subverted so as to reap political dividends.
It may be noted that in reference to Atiq Ahmed and his family, UP CM Yogi Adityanath had earlier said “Iss House mein keh raha hoon. Iss mafia ko mitti mein mila denge,” openly announcing his intention to destroy the family. The most tell-tale evidence of such a system working under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath is the immediate reaction of one of his ministers, Swatantra Dev Singh, who tweeted hours after Atiq Ahmed’s killing that “paap aur punya ka hisaab isi janam mein hota hai” (virtue and sin are accounted for in this very life). Another minister echoed him in almost similar language, terming the turn of events as “a cosmic decision,” the combined effect of stars and planets delivering justice.
The country has witnessed for the past few years how the police engineered fake encounters to finish off accused criminals without caring or allowing the law of the land taking its course. A climate has also been created to drum up support for meting out such instant punishment to criminals through extra-judicial killings. Uttar Pradesh has long been known for perpetuating goonda raj where politicians-criminals-state machinery nexus make sure that the rule of law is made mockery of. Lately, since the BJP came to power some years ago, things have taken a bizarre direction as the state appears to be sponsoring fake encounters and custodial killings as a speedy mode of the system of punishment for crime. It speaks volumes about the state of affairs that only a few days before the murders of the Ahmed brothers, the teenage son of Atiq was killed in police encounter. This was the 183rd such killing since the BJP assumed office in 2017. In fact, the father was so shell-shocked that he did not have the mental strength to attend his son’s funeral.
The dastardly killing of the two brothers brings to the fore a new dimension to fake encounters. The way the murders were executed leaves no one in doubt about the meticulous planning and bigger brains involved in the grisly killing. Even the weapon used in the murder, a banned bore of pistol costing above 7 lac rupees, indicates a very dangerous trend. The security lapses appear to be so deliberate that the complicity of the administration becomes too evident.
Footage from the killing site shows Atiq getting out from the back of a police jeep near a hospital in Prayagraj (Allahabad). He was being helped down by a policeman and his brother Ashraf. As they start walking, surrounded by police constables and local TV reporters, the gunmen disguising themselves as journalists with fake identity cards, boom and camera, accosted them. A second later, a gun was pulled close to his head and he collapsed to the ground. Within seconds his brother was also shot. Two gunmen and another man immediately surrendered to the police. The killing was completed in a minute.
The whole operation raises questions about the complicity of the administration. The police custody of Atiq and Ashraf was to end in the next few days. The hospital compound had enough parking space yet the police vehicles reportedly stopped right outside the gate. Atiq and Ashraf were paraded inside. Mediapersons were chasing police cars from the police station itself. It is a mystery how the media came to know about the movement of the high profile accused from the police station to the hospital. Such visits to hospitals are always kept under wraps. Moreover, it goes against the law to let the accused be questioned by the media, since the matter is sub-judice. The media interaction appears to be a ruse to give the killers the opportunity to commit the crime. The killers are reported to be too poor to buy the expensive guns used in the encounter. Their accuracy of operation shows they had been well trained. Questions remain who provided them with the guns and the training.
Eyewitnesses said the killers chanted “Jai Shri Ram” after the killing. This reveals the climate created by Right-wing outfits to take help from criminals using the veneer of religion to accomplish their political designs. The religious identity of the two victims is not a mere coincidence. A message appears to be sought to be given to the rest of the country, especially to states where Assembly polls will be held soon, that extra-judicial killings and fake encounters are effective tools in the hands of Right-wing governments to dispense speedy ‘justice’.
However, two points come to mind. First, were these killings intended to divert public attention from the extremely damaging interviews of former BJP Governor Satya Pal Malik in which he had wholly blamed Prime Minister Modi for the Pulwama blast in which 40 soldiers were killed just before the 2019 election? Second, will these killings not give ideas to the police across the country to slap false cases and murder anyone who is opposed to the dispensation (in power) at that point of time? One is left wondering.