LUCKNOW. A former Indian MP – convicted of kidnapping and charged with murder and assault – was killed along with his brother in a dramatic attack caught on live television in northern India. Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf, under police guard, were on their way to a medical checkup at a hospital last night when three men posing as journalists attacked them from close range in Prayagraj town, Uttar state Pradesh. The killers camouflaged themselves among other reporters who were interviewing Ahmad and his brother on live television. The men quickly surrendered to police after the shooting, and at least one of them chanted “Jai Shri Ram,” a slogan that has become a rallying cry for Hindu nationalists in their campaign against Muslims. Uttar Pradesh is governed by the Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party.
“They managed to get close to Atiq and his brother and fired at them from close range. Both suffered bullet wounds to the head,” said police officer Ramit Sharma, for whom “everything happened in seconds.” Atiq Ahmad, 60, was jailed in 2019 after being convicted of kidnapping. He was a four-time local legislator and was also elected to the Indian parliament in 2004. Only last Thursday the teenage son of Atiq Ahmad and another man, both accused of a recent murder, were killed by police in a shootout. Atiq Ahmad’s lawyer, Vijay Mishra, said the incident was shocking because “it is a clear failure by the police to ensure the safety” of its citizens.