Why Were Atiq & Ashraf Paraded To Hospital? Supreme Court Asks UP Govt

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday posed the question as to why gangster Atiq Ahmed and his brother were paraded, and not taken to the hospital gate in an ambulance.

Three men posing as journalists shot dead Atiq and Ashraf were shot dead from point-blank range on April 15 when police personnel were escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup.

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, who has sought an inquiry into the 183 encounters that have taken place in Uttar Pradesh since 2017.

A bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Dipankar Datta asked the Uttar Pradesh government why Atiq and Ashraf were being “paraded”, and sought a status report on steps taken following the murder of the duo while in police custody.

The top court also sought a report from state government on the police encounter of Atiq’s son Asad in Jhansi, asking what action has been taken on the report of Justice BS Chauhan regarding police functioning after the Vikas Dubey encounter.

The court granted UP government three weeks’ time to file a status report through an affidavit explaining circumstances under which Atiq and Ashraf were killed, and steps taken to inquire into the shooting.

The petitioner demanded an independent inquiry under supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge. Responding to UP government’s argument that a judicial commission has been constituted to investigate the matter, the petitioner raised questions, saying that the government’s role is also in doubt.

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