New Delhi: After gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead by three miscreants in Prayagraj on Saturday night, the mother of one of the assailants, Lovelesh Tiwari, on Sunday said that her son had a religious side to him.


Speaking to ANI, the mother of Lovelesh, Asha, said, “Pata nahi uske naseeb mein kya likha tha (Don’t know what was written in his destiny).”


“He was deeply religious and would visit temples regularly for darshans. We have not talked to him since he left the house. His phone was also switched off,” his mother told ANI.




Commissioner of Police, Prayagraj, Ramit Sharma said the three assailants, who were arrested immediately after the incident, had joined the group of media persons who were trying to get sound bites from Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf.


Earlier, on Sunday, Lovelesh’s father said his son was jobless and a drug addict.


Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Yagya Tiwari (father of Lovelesh, one of the arrested shooters) said, “He is my son. We saw the incident on TV. We are not aware of the actions of Lovelesh nor do we have anything to do with this. He never lived here and neither was he involved in our family affairs. He did not tell us anything. He came here five to six days ago. We have not been on talking terms with him for years. There is already a case registered against him. He was jailed in that case.”


“He doesn’t work. He was a drug addict. We have four children. We have nothing to say about this,” Yagya Tiwari added.






Atiq was accused in the murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal in 2005 and also in the subsequent killing of Umesh Pal, a key witness in the BSP’s leader’s murder, in February this year.