Supreme Court: Why were Atiq Ahmad and his brother paraded before media?

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to “look into” the sensational murder of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf Ahmad while in custody and also the encounter killing of Atiq’s son just two days before it even as it asked the UP government to file a status report.
A bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Dipankar Datta also raised questions on why Atiq and Ashraf were paraded before the media while being taken to hospital, during which the two brothers were killed on live television. The bench wondered how the assailants came to know about their movement.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by apex court lawyer Vishal Tiwari seeking an independent probe into the killing of Ahmed brothers besides 183 police encounters which occurred in the state in the last five years.

“How did they know? We have seen it on TV. Why were they not taken inside the hospital (from the entry gate) by ambulance? Why were they paraded?” the apex court asked.
May ask UP panel to look into larger issue of encounters: SC
The state opposed issuing of notice to it and assured the court of a comprehensive affidavit on both cases.
The bench said after examining the case, it may ask the state-­appointed commission to look at the larger issue and also to examine other cases, including police encounters. It also directed the state to brief it on steps taken by the government on the report of Justice BS Chauhan who was appointed to inquire into the encounter killing of Vikas Dubey in 2020 near Kanpur.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by apex court lawyer Vishal Tiwari seeking an independent probe into the killing of the Ahmed brothers besides the 183 police encounters which occurred in the state in the past five years.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the UP government, opposed the plea and said the state had already set up an inquiry panel and assured the court about a free and fair probe in the case. He said Atiq’s entire family has been embroiled in heinous cases for the last 30 years.

“This incident is gruesome and we have apprehended the killers. They are saying they did this to gain importance but it is probable that they are acting on behalf of someone else. We are investigating it,” he said. Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf were shot dead in the presence of police personnel and media persons in Prayagraj by assailants who posed as journalists. The killing was captured live on camera.