‘No Fault’ Was Found In Police Actions In Connection With the Murder of Atiq Ahmad, According to the Uttar Pradesh Government

In a recent development, the Uttar Pradesh government notified the Supreme Court that “no fault” had been discovered with the police in the continuing inquiry into the April 15 killings of gangster and former Lok Sabha member Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj. The state reaffirmed its commitment to undertake an objective and fair inquiry in this case as well as any other matters, such as the murder of mobster Vikas Dubey and several police confrontations since 2017.

Details of the investigations listed in the petition submitted by attorney Vishal Tiwari’s give in the progress report, which was filed in response to petitions calling for an independent inquiry into the killings of Ahmad and Ashraf. The inquiry into the deaths of Ahmad and Ashraf was described as being “partially ongoing to collect evidence on some other points,” according to PTI.

The state confirmed that encounters, including the one involving mobster Vikas Dubey in July 2020, were properly examined in compliance with the rules and directives set out by the Supreme Court in its prior rulings. The report made a point of stating that in each of the seven situations brought up by the petitioner, when investigations were finished, no wrongdoing on the side of the police was established.

In response to two different petitions—one filed by Tiwari and the other by Aisha Noori, the sister of gangster-politician Ahmad—seeking a thorough investigation into the murder of her brothers, the state’s report was presented before the Supreme Court. According to the newspaper, Tiwari’s appeal mostly reopened cases that the supreme court had already settled and closed.

Concerns with the Justice BS Chauhan Commission report, which looked into the encounter death of Vikas Dubey in 2020, were also addressed in the report. The Commission, presided over by retired judge Chauhan of the Supreme Court, had come to the conclusion that the police account of the events could not be disputed. The status report underlined that additional investigations, including criminal and magisterial ones, came to the same result as the Justice Chauhan Commission about the state’s activities.

The investigation also reaffirmed that Atiq Ahmad was a well-known gangster with a criminal history who had been engaged in over 100 incidents. In cases when accused people have died due to police self-defense, the state has guaranteed ongoing monitoring. The statement said, “Details related to the killed criminals and the outcomes of the investigation/enquiry are collected and scrutinized every month at the police headquarters level in all police encounter incidents since 2017.”

The state made clear that it will closely watch police behavior and, if required, take prompt corrective measures.