A bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Dipankar Datta asked senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for the UP government, how the killers got the knowledge that they were being taken to hospital.
“How did they know? We have seen it on TV. Why were they not taken to the ambulance right from the entry gate of the hospital? Why were they paraded?” the apex court asked.
The apex court was hearing a plea by advocate Vishal Tiwari seeking an independent probe into the killing of Ahmad and his brother Ashraf.
Rohatgi informed the bench the state government is probing the incident and has constituted a three-member commission for this. A UP Police special investigation team is also investigating the matter, he said.
“This man and his entire family are embroiled in heinous cases for last 30 years. This incident particularly is a gruesome incident. We have apprehended the killers and they said they did this to gain importance,” Rohatgi said.
“Everyone saw the killings on the television. The killers came in the guise of news photographers. They had passes, were carrying cameras, and were even carrying identity cards that were later found to be fake. There were 50 people there and more people outside. This is how they managed to kill,” Rohatgi told the bench.
The court directed the UP government to submit a status report on steps taken after the incident.
Atiq Ahmad (60) and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college.
(With agency inputs)
Watch Atiq-Ashraf murder case: How the killers got the knowledge that both were being taken to hospital, SC asks UP govt
