Five police personnel were suspended on Wednesday for negligence in connection with the killing of mafia-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf, a senior officer said here on Wednesday. Shahganj police station in-charge Ashwani Kumar Singh was among those suspended. The remaining are a sub-inspector and three constables.Ahmad and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night when police personnel were escorting them to a hospital in the Shahganj police station area in Prayagraj for a checkup. The brothers were in handcuffs when they were killed in full view of camera crews. The senior police officer said the five personnel were suspended after a special investigation team (SIT) charged them with negligence in discharging their duties.
Police Commissioner Ramit Sharma had constituted the three-member SIT headed by Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Satish Chandra to probe the killings. On 13 April 2023, Ahmed's son, Asad, who was wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, was killed in an encounter during action in Jhansi by the Uttar Pradesh Police's Special Task Force (STF).On 15 April 2023, while being escorted for a court-mandated medical checkup in the presence of police in Allahabad, Ahmed was asked about his absence during his son's last rites, to which he replied in Hindi, "I wasn't taken, so I didn't go.” A pistol was fired at Atiq Ahmed's head at point-blank range, resulting in his death. Ashraf Ahmed was also killed in the attack, which was captured and broadcast live on television. The brothers were surrounded by police personnel at the time of the shooting. The three perpetrators had posed as media personnel and did not attempt to escape after committing the murder, instead surrendering while chanting the slogan "Jai Shri Ram.