Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav call Atiq-Ashraf Ahmad killing 'tragic' and 'scripted'

PATNA: Chief minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Monday condemned the murders of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf in police custody in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj.
Nitish called it 'extremely tragic, and against the law and the constitution', while Tejashwi termed the murders as 'scripted'.
While interacting with the media, Nitish said the country has a Constitution and a proper way of punishing a criminal, wiping off criminal by killing him is unjustified.
"If anyone goes to jail, will you kill him? Is there any rule like this? It is the court which decides whether to give capital punishment or to send someone to jail for certain period," said Nitish raising suspicion over the way the shooters emerged and killed Atiq and his brother, while the media persons were questioning both.
"Has such thing happened anywhere in the country or in the world? How can anyone emerge like this and kill someone? The police should have seen the culprits," said Nitish questioning the Prayagraj administration as well as Uttar Pradesh government. When asked that BJP people were saying that a criminal has been wiped off, he replied, "I don't know what they say."
Even deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav lashed out the UP government over the murders in police custody. "I have no soft corner for criminals, but there is a law, a court and a constitution in the country which have to be followed.
However, UP has the highest number of murders in police custody in the country," said Tejashwi, adding it was not Atiq's funeral, rather funeral of the rule of law.
He further said that the entire act was scripted and was done for cheap publicity. "Everyone knows what kind of governance is going on in UP. Had such murder taken place in police custody in an opposition ruled state, then they (BJP) would have created hue and cry and human rights panel would had taken the cognizance."