Killing of Atiq brothers marks new low for security in Uttar Pradesh
Post Date – 12:15 AM, Tuesday – 4/18/23
Killing of Atiq brothers marks new low for security in Uttar Pradesh
The shameless murder of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf Ahmad, under the noses of the police and in the public eye, marked the The law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh hit a new low. Oddly enough, such an attack occurs while the victim is in police custody. The fact that the pair were shot at point-blank range as they were taken to the hospital for a routine medical check-up raised several questions about the complicity of the police officers who were supposed to keep them safe. The murder was caught on live television. It is a chronicle that foretold death. Both had earlier petitioned for their safety in court, despite calls at the top to eliminate them to send a strong message to the mafia world. This shameful incident speaks volumes about the quality of security in the country. Those responsible for laxity and collusion must be held accountable. The attackers – three young men with criminal records – quickly surrendered and were taken into police custody. The government set up a judicial committee and pledged to follow due process. Given its track record, however, not many hope for any justice. While Atiq may have been a hardcore criminal with more than 100 registered cases, including murder and kidnapping, there was no reason to call for an extrajudicial execution. This heinous crime stains the police force and erodes public confidence in the criminal justice system.
The daytime murders came two days after police allegedly killed Atiq’s 19-year-old son Asad and an aide, Ghulam Hussain, both accused of killing Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2005 Raju Pal murder. The right to seek retaliation and redress for wrongs committed does not belong to vigilantes. The three men who turned themselves in to police after the murders must be investigated and tried to the fullest extent of the law. Politicians should avoid resorting to triumphalism, which makes crime political. Since Yogi Adityanath became chief minister of the Unity Union in 2017, encounter killings have become routine – 183 so far – and are all the more troubling as they punish criminals Celebrate in name. The rise of Atiq, which straddles the worlds of crime and politics through regime change, is a symptom of the malaise already recognized by the nation. The recent killing spree recalled the state’s unrest in the 1980s and 1990s, when police struggled to maintain law and order and reckless criminals roamed the wasteland with impunity. This only proves that things are becoming less and less the same for India’s most populous state.
