Gunmen shot an Indian politician and ex-lawmaker, Atiq Ahmad, and his brother dead on live TV, as Ahmed stopped to speak to journalists.
According to Mail Online, Ahmad, who had over 100 criminal cases against him, was under arrest and was being escorted by police for a court-mandated medical checkup when the tragic incident occurred in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
This comes just two days after his son, Asad Ahmad, was shot dead by Uttar Pradesh Police in what was being seen as an extra-judicial killing.
Ahmad was asked by journalists why he had not attended his son’s funeral and just as he responded that he was not allowed to go, a shooter sneaked up behind him, pointed a gun directly at his head, and fired a shot instantly killing him.
While Atiq collapsed to the ground, the shooter sprayed him with several bullets.
Two other shooters then opened fire, killing his brother, Ashraf, who was of a similar criminal background to his cousin.
A police constable and a journalist were also reported to have injuries in the melee of bullets.
Amid the shootings, attackers were heard shouting the words ‘Surrender’ and ‘Jai Sree Ram’, a slogan to praise the central figure of the Hindu religion, as police captured them.
“All the three shooters have been kept in three different police stations of the city,” a police commissioner confirmed following the attack.
The Uttar Pradesh government has also ordered a judicial commission to probe the attack.
Additional police forces were brought into the area and were foot-marching across the city.
Ahmed, who is a former MP, and his brother were in police custody and had been brought to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, where Ahmed was facing murder and assault charges.
The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, where the shooting took place, Yogi Adityanath, has been criticised for promoting “encounters”, a term used for extra-judicial killings in his state. He has now constituted a high-level committee to investigate the killing.
Opposition politicians and human rights activists have also slammed Adityanath and the ruling party, BJP, for promoting “anarchy and lawlessness.”
“When someone can be killed by firing openly amidst the security cordon of the police, then what about the safety of the general public?” tweeted a former Chief Minister of the state, Akhilesh Yadav.
”Due to this, an atmosphere of fear is being created among the public, it seems that some people are deliberately creating such an atmosphere.’
Mail Online further gathered that police had imposed a strict curfew and were holding flag marches in the area in an attempt to restore law and order.
The three shooters have been kept at three separate police stations while initial investigations are concluded.
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