Five UP cops, including an SHO, were suspended for the alleged lapses that allowed three assassins masquerading as journalists to shot dead handcuffed gangster politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in front of TV cameras outside a Prayagraj hospital.
According to sources in the Lucknow police headquarters, two sub-inspectors and as many constables were suspended based on the preliminary results of the investigation, in addition to SHO Ashwini Singh of the Shahganj police station, whose jurisdiction includes the crime site outside Colvin Hospital.
The special investigation team (SIT) tried to recreate the crime scene as part of its inquiries and to trying to determine how many of the large number of police personnel 'guarding' Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf that night - as the two were being walked to the hospital for a 'medical check-up' - tried to stop the attack and how much time it took to restore order after the killings.
A mysterious letter in a sealed envelope allegedly addressed by Atiq Ahmad to Yogi, chief justice DY Chandrachud and the top justice of the Allahabad High Court is still unresolved. An appeal for an independent investigation into the killings has been accepted by the Supreme Court.
Police plan to take narco tests on Atiq's killers
Police are planning to move court to seek lie detector and narco tests on the three killers - Mohit Singh alias Shani, Lavlesh Tiwari and Arun Maurya. The SIT questioned the three to collect all possible evidence related to the killing. Senior police officials privy to the probe said that the test was important in order to find out the motive of the crime as they have been repeatedly saying that they shot the brothers as they wanted to become “famous”.