Congress Leader Detained For Laying Tricolour On Atiq Ahmed’s Grave, Suspended By Party

Rajju can be heard calling Atiq Ahmed a "martyr" and requesting a Bharat Ratna for the gangster-politician who was recently shot dead in a video that has gone viral.

Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed

Source : File Photo/PTI

New Delhi: Local Congress leader Rajkumar Singh Rajju was taken into custody by the police for allegedly calling gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad a "martyr" and placing the tricolor on his grave. According to Congress city president Pradeep Mishra Anshuman, Rajju was kicked out of the party for six years while he was running for urban local body elections.

Anshuman stated that Rajju was a South Malaka-based Congress candidate for mayor from Azad Nagar.

Rajju can be heard calling Atiq Ahmed a "martyr" and requesting a Bharat Ratna for the gangster-politician who was recently shot dead in a video that has gone viral.

"He was a people's representative and a martyr. Why he was not given state honour and why the tricolour was not put on his grave," Rajju said, according to the purported video.

Anshuman said that whatever happened was a conspiracy and that he had a picture of Rajju receiving the award from state Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

He added that Rajju is receiving treatment for some mental health issues and that a prescription for mental health medications was discovered at his residence.

Dhoomanganj police headquarters SHO Rajesh Kumar Maurya said Rajju has been confined and an FIR is being enlisted against him.

While police were escorting the two brothers to a hospital in Prayagraj for a check-up on Saturday night, Ahmad (60) and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists.

The brothers, both jailed in Prayagraj, were in handcuffs when they were killed in full view of camera crews. The horrifying visuals were circulated widely on social media platforms and television channels. The last rites of Ahmad's son Asad, who was gunned down in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, were performed here just hours before the shooting.