NHRC Takes Cognizance Of Complaints Regarding The Killing Of Atiq Ahmed And His Brother Ashraf Ahmed In Police Custody

On Tuesday, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took cognizance of complaints regarding the killing of Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed in police custody in the Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh. The NHRC has asked the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, and the Commissioner of Police, Prayagraj to provide a detailed report within four weeks.

The report should include information about the cause and location of the arrest, the time and reason for detention, as well as copies of the complaint and FIR filed against the deceased.

The NHRC also requested copies of the arrest and inspection memos, whether the family was informed about the arrest, seizure, and recovery memos, medical legal certificates, relevant GD extracts transcribed in English/Hindi, Inquest and Post Mortem Reports, video recordings of the post mortem examination, and a site plan of the scene of the occurrence, etc.

On the evening of April 15, two brothers, Atiq Ahmed, and Ashraf Ahmed, were shot at close range by three attackers who posed as TV reporters. They were being escorted to a hospital in Prayagraj for a medical examination when the shooting took place. The attackers have surrendered and have been remanded to judicial custody for fourteen days.

This incident occurred just two days after Ahmed's associates Asad and Gulam were killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in Jhansi. Interestingly, eighteen days prior to his death, Atiq had requested the Supreme Court for protection for himself and his family members, who were accused in the Umesh Pal murder case. He had also challenged his transfer from Sabarmati jail to Allahabad jail for the investigation of the same case.

Atiq had expressed his concern to the Supreme Court that he would be killed by the Uttar Pradesh police in a fake encounter, but his plea was dismissed, stating that he was safe with the police. A petition has now been filed before the Supreme Court, requesting a probe by a judicial committee headed by a retired judge of the apex court into the murder. The matter is set to be heard on April 24.

The Uttar Pradesh government has already established a judicial commission under the Commission of Inquiry Act 1952, to investigate the matter. It will be led by retired Allahabad High Court Judge Arvind Kumar Tripathi.