New Delhi: A couple of days after gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother were shot dead in the middle of a media interaction, Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Monday said that what happened in Uttar Pradesh "was not the funeral procession of Atiq Ahmed but that of law."
Yadav emphasized that the laws and the Constitution are in place to eliminate crime, and even the assassins of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi also underwent trial and were punished. Yadav further pointed out that Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of custodial deaths and that the incident appeared to be scripted for cheap publicity.
Speaking to ANI, Yadav said, "I have no sympathies for crime or criminals. There are laws & Constitution to eliminate crime. Even the assassins of a PM were made to undergo trial & they were punished. What happened in UP was not the funeral procession of #AtiqAhmed but that of law. UP tops in terms of custodial deaths. This has been done for cheap publicity. Everyone knows the kind of rule in UP...This seemed scripted."
His remarks came after Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists on Saturday night while police personnel was escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup.
The assailants were caught on the spot.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has formed a three-member judicial commission to probe the killing of Ahmed and his brother.