A former Indian lawmaker convicted of kidnapping and facing murder and assault charges was shot dead along with his brother in a dramatic attack that was caught live on television in northern India, authorities said Sunday.
Atiq Ahmad and his brother, Ashraf Ahmad, were under police escort on their way for a medical check-up at a hospital on Saturday night when three men posing as journalists attacked the two brothers at close range in the town of Prayagraj. , in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
The men quickly surrendered to police after the shooting, with at least one of them chanting «Jai Shri Ram» or «Hail Lord Ram», a slogan that has become a rallying cry for Hindu nationalists in their campaign against the Muslims.
Uttar Pradesh is governed by the ruling Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party of India.
Police officer Ramit Sharma said the three assailants arrived on motorcycles posing as journalists.
“They managed to get close to Atiq and his brother under the pretext of recording a byte and shot them point blank. They both suffered gunshot wounds to the head,” he said.
“Everything happened in seconds,” Sharma said.
On Thursday, Atiq Ahmad’s teenage son and another man, blamed for a recent murder, were killed by police in what was described as a shootout.
Atiq Ahmad, 60, was jailed in 2019 after being found guilty of kidnapping. He was a local legislator four times and was also elected to the Indian parliament in 2004.
His lawyer, Vijay Mishra, said the incident was shocking as «it is a clear failure by the police to ensure the safety» of their clients.
Opposition parties criticized the killings as a security lapse.