The 50 seconds of horror from Prayagraj that saw Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed emerge from a police jeep surrounded by policemen, till they lay dead in a pool of blood after facing a volley of bullets will forever haunt the image of the country’s largest police force in Uttar Pradesh.
There is no doubt that Atiq and Ashraf were dreaded gangsters who ran amok for decades. Atiq had 101 cases against his name and Ashraf had 57 cases. They also must have had dangerous enemies or may have generated hate amongst many. However, it was the duty of the police to ensure their safety as they had been entrusted in police custody by the court. Atiq was also a life convict.
India prides its legal system to such a high standard that a dreaded terrorist involved in the Mumbai 26/11 attacks such as Ajmal Kasab, after being caught alive, was also given top-notch security for almost four years till his death sentence was executed after the Supreme Court judgment. This is anti-thesis to the image of Atiq and Ashraf lying lifeless on the ground, tied in the same pair of handcuffs, with bullets being rained on them.
Incidentally, no heads have rolled so far. The 10-odd policemen in charge of security can be seen scurrying for cover when the firing began. Although they had weapons, they did not fire a single bullet.
Sources in the UP Police say if the police had opened retaliatory fire, journalists recording bytes of Atiq and Ashraf could have been killed. They say police, in fact, did well to express “restraint".
MEDIA GUISE
Police sources cite how journalists are usually not checked or frisked and the three attackers carried a mic and a camera to get close access to Atiq and Ashraf. They also cite how the three attackers were quickly nabbed. However, the visuals indicate the attackers themselves threw their pistols and then surrendered by putting up their hands. It is apparent that they had done a recee and saw media teams freely chasing and accessing Atiq for bytes in police custody.
Taking two accused, who have even gone to the Supreme Court citing a danger to their life, for a medical examination late at night amid a rather thin security cover raises big questions on the inefficiency of the UP Police.
The Prayagraj Commissioner of Police has now seen two big murders happen under his term — first, the Umesh Pal case and then the Atiq-Ashraf killing. But no accountability has been set so far.
A three-member judicial commission of inquiry has been set up to give a report within two months. One hopes that the same will fix accountability. So far, the UP Police seems busy patting its own back despite a brutal set of murders which has the potential to put a sense of scare among citizens.
The confidence among the three attackers that they could carry out such a dastardly incident amid police and media presence should be a cause for worry.
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