Delhi; 19 April 2023 (UMMN): A letter by former MP and MLA Atiq Ahmad (60) with instructions to send it to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and Uttar Pradesh chief minister in case of his death is being dispatched to them, Atiq’s lawyer Vijay Mishra said on Tuesday.
"That letter in a sealed envelope is neither with me nor sent by me. It is kept somewhere else and being sent by some other person. I don't know the contents of the letter," said Mishra.
Handcuffed brothers Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men in full view of camera crews on Saturday night while police personnel were escorting them for a medical checkup.
The visuals of public execution of the duo was circulated around the world. The horrifying story has been covered by Indian and international media, reflecting lawlessness in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which has been called “Jungle Raj” (law of the jungle) by Sitaram Yechury, a veteran Indian politician.
On March 5, Atiq Ahmed was taken from the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad to a prison in Prayagraj, more than 1,000 kms away, by road in connection with the Umesh Pal’s murder case.
While on the way, Ahmed spoke to reporters from inside the police van. He pleaded with the UP government to spare his family members.
A day later, Atiq's son Asad Ahmed and his aide were intercepted in Jhansi and killed in an 'encounter' with the UP STF.
Atiq Ahmad’s brother Ashraf too, while being shifted to Bareilly jail, claimed he would be taken out of jail in two weeks and killed. "I have been threatened by an officer that I'll be taken out of jail in two weeks and will be killed," said Ashraf.
Two weeks before Atiq Ahmad was shot dead, on March 28, he had approached the Supreme Court seeking protection during his custody with the Uttar Pradesh Police for himself and his family. In his petition, Atiq had claimed there was an "open, direct and immediate threat to his life" from state functionaries of Uttar Pradesh.
The Supreme Court dismissed his plea and asked him to approach the Allahabad High Court instead. The Supreme Court had also observed that the state machinery would protect him.
Another plea by advocate Vishal Tiwari was filed on April 16 in the Supreme Court seeking for an urgent hearing before Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, and constitution of an independent expert committee headed by a former apex court judge to probe the killings. Plea also sought an inquiry into the 183 encounters that have taken place in Uttar Pradesh since 2017.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the plea on April 24.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh Police over the killing of Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf, officials said on Tuesday.
In its notice to the Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh and the Commissioner of Police of Prayagraj, the commission sought reports from them within four weeks.
The reports should cover all the aspects leading to the killings, copies of medical-legal certificates of the deceased, inquest report, post-mortem report, video cassette/CD of post-mortem examination, site plan of scene of occurrence of the crime, and magisterial enquiry report, it added.
