Prayagraj incident: Judicial commission formed to conduct investigation

The killers came disguised as mediapersons and opened fire at Atiq and his brother Ashraf near Colvin Hospital in Prayagraj where they were being taken for a regular check-up. The police nabbed the shooters at the scene.

The Home Department has issued an order in response to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's instructions to form the commission. The commission will be established under the Commission of Inquiry Act 1952.

The order specifies that Justice Arvind Kumar Tripathi (II), a retired judge from the Allahabad High Court, will lead the commission. Additionally, Subesh Kumar Singh, a former Director General of Police (DGP), and Brijesh Kumar Soni, a retired judge, have been selected to serve as members of the commission.

The spokesman stated that the commission is expected to conclude its investigation into the incident within two months and submit its findings to the state government.

It is worth mentioning that Atiq Ahmed and Khalid Azeem alias Ashraf were killed by three gunmen while being taken into police custody for a medical examination at Colvin Hospital on Saturday night.

At the time, the two brothers were in police custody for their alleged involvement in the murder of Umesh Pal, the key witness in the case against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal.

Advocate Umesh Pal and two of his security guards were shot in front of his home in the Sulem Sarai area February 24, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Dhoomanganj police station.

Following the incident, Jaya Pal, Umesh Pal's wife, filed a murder case against Atiq Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, Ashraf's wife Shaista Parveen, their two sons, and nine others.

After the killings of Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf on Saturday night, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter and instructed the formation of a three-member judicial commission.