Video captures the moment that former Indian politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother were shot dead on live television.
You can watch the video here, but be aware that it’s very disturbing. Heavy is not embedding the video because it shows the moment that Ahmed was shot. This video has the same scene from a slightly different angle.
The video, which has had more than 500,000 views in one share alone, shows Atiq Ahmed “and his brother Ashraf shot dead while talking to media in” the presence of police, tweeted Twitter user Md Asif Kha. The video shows the two men speaking with multiple television reporters when a man walks up and shoots both men.
The Times of India identified one of the accused gunmen as Luvlesh Kumar Tiwari. The Economic Times reported that a second accused gunman is named Arun Kumar Maurya.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Gunmen Posed as Journalists, Reports Say
Pic 1 : House of accused Arun Maurya
Pic 2 : Semi automatic Zigana pistol used to kill Atiq Ahmed.
This pistol costs ₹7,00,000 and banned in India.
How did shooters get this expensive and banned weapon? #AtiqueAhmed
According to Al-Jazeera, Ahmed was a “former member of India’s Parliament convicted of kidnapping.”
The network reported that the shooting was captured on live television; at the time of the shooting, Ahmed and his brother were “in police custody in the northern city of Prayagraj, raising questions about rule of law in the state of Uttar Pradesh,” Al-Jazeera reported.
The television network reported that gunmen posed as journalists to get access to the brothers, adding that Ashraf Ahmed is a former state legislator.
According to BBC, three gunmen who had posed as journalists “quickly surrendered and were taken into custody.”
BBC noted that Ahmed’s teenage son “was shot dead by police days earlier.”
Vijay Mishra, Ahmed’s lawyer, told The New York Times that Atiq Ahmed had asked the Indian Supreme Court for protection two weeks before the shooting because he “feared he was about to be killed.” The court “told him that the state would protect him,” The Times reported.
“Knowing the risk involved, the police should have taken extra care when it comes to taking him to the hospital from jail. It was their responsibility, and the blame lies on them. The failure to protect his life lies at them,” Mishra told The New York Times. “When these men fired, the police was so scared that they did not fire back. I want to ask, why do they keep their guns, then? Do they keep these weapons only for scaring the common man?”
Atiq Ahmed & His Brother Were Being Escorted to a Medical Check-Up, Reports Say
According to BBC, Ahmed and his brother were being escorted by police “to a medical check-up at a hospital” when they were shot
BBC reported that Atiq Ahmed was asked by a journalist whether he would attend his son’s funeral when he was shot.
“They did not take us, so we did not go,” were his final words, according to BBC.
India Today described Atiq Ahmed as a “gangster-turned-politician” who was accused of murder at age 17.
According to The New York Times, the assassins shouted “Jai Shri Ram,” in praise of the Hindu lord Ram.
The Times reported that Ahmed and his brother were Muslim. The Times reported that the shootings “raised alarm about how deeply extrajudicial violence has seeped into the state’s governance,” a conflict with religious dimension.
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