Prayagraj: A sense of desolation looms large at Chakia colony, an area in Prayagraj often associated with its most notorious resident — gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, who along with his brother Ashraf, was shot dead by three assailants late Saturday night.
Of the several policemen deployed on the corner of the street housing Atiq’s house, demolished by Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) in September 2020, one tells ThePrint, “We were asked to keep a check on activities in Atiq’s area and we’re doing that.”
With shops shut and internet services snapped, an eerie silence seems to have enveloped the otherwise hustling Prayagraj district Sunday morning. Section 144, CrPC (prohibiting assembly of four or more people in one place) is in effect here, and all other districts in UP.
Overlooking the gate of Motilal Nehru Divisional Hospital, the spot where Atiq and brother Ashraf were killed has been carved up with chalk markings and sealed to preserve the scene of the crime. A team of forensic experts was here last night to collect evidence.
Locals flocking to the crime scene are being periodically dispersed by the police. Asked how he felt about the killing, Prayagraj resident Mohammad Sohaib says, “If a man can be killed inside police cover, then anyone can be killed.”
In the backdrop, a flurry of police vehicles patrols the streets ahead of Atiq and Ashraf’s burial. The brothers are likely to be buried Sunday evening at a graveyard near Kasari Masari area, where police personnel have been deployed in large numbers.
“The killings have flamed passions and we want to ensure everything is done peacefully,” a senior police officer tells ThePrint on condition of anonymity.
Also Read: Atiq & Ashraf’s shooters used ‘Turkish-made pistols, may have been hired by powerful gang’
Divided sentiments
In Prayagraj, where Atiq Ahmed was a feared man for the better part of the past four decades, locals are divided over how they feel about the killing.
“Atiq got the result of his bad karma. What you sow, you reap. He had been oppressing and killing people for decades,” says Shekhar Kumar, who sells garlands outside a temple in Dhoomanganj.
Under the shade of a banyan tree at Chakia colony, a few men are discussing the attack. One of them, 70-year-old Subedar Mohammed Sharif terms Atiq as the “product of the government” — a reference to Ahmed hobnobbing with political bigwigs in his day.
“He (Atiq) was a criminal. There is no doubt about that. But why was no strict action taken against him when he committed his first crime? Instead, he was given political patronage. And now, when he became an eyesore, they killed him,” says Sharif.
He adds, “I have seen everything, but this is not the way it should have ended.”
Young men join in to listen him narrate the stories of how Atiq Ahmed became a mafia and in turn, a five-time MLA and one-time Member of Parliament.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
Also Read: ‘It was over in 30 seconds’ — eyewitnesses recall fatal attack on Atiq Ahmed, Ashraf in Prayagraj