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The posters equate the killing of the Ahmad brothers with the “death of democracy”.
Lucknow: Police in Maharashtra have removed posters supporting the notorious criminal Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf, who were recently killed in police custody by three armed men in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
The posters were put up in Beed city, hailing the brothers as “martyrs”, and were swiftly taken down by local police, who have also arrested four people in connection with the incident.
The arrested individuals have been charged with creating disharmony between religious groups, and face charges under sections 293, 294 and 153 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The posters, put up by some local leaders, condemn the Ahmad brothers’ killing and also feature profane words for BJP leaders over Hindutva.
Atiq was a prominent criminal with a long history of violence and corruption. He first came to public attention in the 1980s as a leader of the student union at Allahabad University, where he was accused of assaulting a professor.
He later became involved in politics, winning a seat in the Uttar Pradesh state assembly in 2002. However, he was expelled from the Bahujan Samaj Party in 2004 following allegations of criminal activity, including the murder of a businessman.
Despite being imprisoned several times, Ahmad continued to exert influence through his connections and money. He was accused of running a criminal empire from his cell, and was involved in a number of high-profile incidents, including the murder of a senior police officer in 1993.
His brother Ashraf was also a criminal, and was accused of involvement in a number of murders and extortion cases.
They were killed by three young shooters when they were being taken for a procedural medical check-up in Prayagraj in the evening of April 15. The attackers, identified as Arun Maurya, Sunny and Lavlesh Tiwari, were arrested at the scene. The UP Police have set up two Special Investigation Teams (SITs) to look into the incident, and are also trying to apprehend Atiq’s wife, Shaista Parveen, and Guddu Muslim, who was allegedly involved in the murder of Umesh Pal.
