Live on television, a former Indian politician who had been convicted of kidnapping was shot to death alongside his brother.
In Prayagraj, popularly known as Allahabad, Atiq Ahmed was speaking with media while being escorted by police when a gun was drawn dangerously close to his head.
Three males who were pretending to be journalists soon turned themselves in and were arrested after the bullets were fired on Saturday night.
Days ago, cops fatally shot Ahmed’s teenage son.
Over the past two decades, Atiq Ahmed has been the subject of dozens of cases, involving kidnapping, murder, and extortion. In March of this year, a local court in a kidnapping case sentenced him and two others to life in prison.
In the past, Ahmed has asserted that the police posed a threat to his life.
Moments before they were both shot, video showed Ahmed and his brother Ashraf chatting to media while being transported in handcuffs to a hospital for a checkup.
Ahmed is questioned about attending his son’s burial in the video, which has been extensively shared on social media and on TV.
He ends by saying to the camera, “They did not take us, so we did not go.”
The three alleged attackers rode motorcycles to the scene, according to the police. At the site, there were injuries to a police officer and a journalist.
In order to maintain ease after the event on Saturday night, Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a legal investigation into the killings and prohibited big gatherings in the state’s districts.
How a man might be assassinated in front of the media and police has been a topic of discussion among experts. Anant Zanane, a BBC Hindi correspondent, reported from Prayagraj that the city was reportedly on lockdown.
