Former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Sunday said the killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf in police custody in Prayagraj raised serious questions over the style of functioning of the Uttar Pradesh government.
It would be better if the Supreme Court takes cognisance of this "extremely serious and worrisome" incident, which is being discussed across the country, the former chief minister added.
In a series of tweets, she said, "Now, instead of 'rule of law by law' in Uttar Pradesh, how appropriate is it that it becomes 'encounter Pradesh'? Something to think about."
"The shooting dead of Atiq Ahmad, who was brought from a Gujarat jail, and his brother Ashraf, who was brought from Bareilly jail, last night in Prayagraj in police custody is just as heinous as the Umesh Pal murder case. It raises serious questions on the law and order of the UP government, and its style of functioning," she said.
"Criminals should be given the harshest punishment but it should be according to the law of the land. Playing with or violating the rule of law and the judicial process for any political purpose is not right for our democracy," Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Sunday, a day after gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot dead in Prayagraj.
Without taking names, in a tweet in Hindi, Priyanka Vadra said the law of the country was written in the Constitution and this law was paramount. "Whoever plays with or violates the rule of law and the judicial process or gives protection to those who indulge in such an act, should also be held responsible and the law should be strictly enforced on that person," she said, adding that it should be the endeavour of all that the justice system and the rule of law remained supreme in the country.
Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf, both jailed in Prayagraj, were in handcuffs when they were killed in full view of camera crews around 10 pm on Saturday. The horrifying visuals were circulated widely on social media platforms and television channels.