Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath sought a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the assassination of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
Atiq and his brother were shot dead by three shooters on Saturday when they were brought in for a medical check-up. The incident happened soon after they got down from the police jeep and were responding to questions from the media. The killers, masquerading as journalists, fired at Atiq and his brother Ashraf.
"What kind of politics is taking place in Uttar Pradesh and in the country? One day someone is killed and the next day someone else. It is for the society to think where UP and the country is headed. The Supreme Court should take notice of it and order an inquiry," Nath said.
Responding to Nath, MP Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Narendra Saluja said Nath should have shown grief for those killed by Atiq Ahmed instead. "Atiq was facing more than 100 criminal cases. It is shameful Nath is demanding an investigation into the killing of a man who murdered several people and destroyed their families. Nath is siding with the mafia for the politics of appeasement," Saluja said.
Meanwhile, Congress said that criminals should be given the harshest punishment but it should be under the law of the land and subverting the rule of law for any political purpose is dangerous for democracy.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said there are courts to ensure that criminals get the harshest punishment but "playing with law and order only gives birth to anarchy".
Video footage showed a man thrusting a gun at Ahmad's head as he talked to reporters and the former Samajwadi Party (SP) MP collapsing. The footage also showed the three assailants firing at the brothers even after they had fallen. The bullet-riddled bodies of Ahmad and Ashraf were taken away from the spot as tension gripped the area after the sensational killings.
Also Read: Watch: Moment when gangster Atiq Ahmed, his brother Ashraf were killed in UP's Prayagraj