On Sunday, Uttar Pradesh imposed Section 144 of the CrPc, a day after gangster Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf Ahmad were shot dead in Prayagraj, and security has been tightened at all prominent religious places in the state.
Cities such as Ayodhya, Varanasi, and Mathura have been placed under increased security, with priests asked to report any suspicious activity or person at temples.
Police forces have been deployed in all major areas of Ayodhya, and a three-tier security system comprised of CRPF and local police has been set up at the Ram Temple site. Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister, has also canceled all of his events for the day. He has appointed a three-member judicial commission to investigate the incident.
In a late-night meeting, Adityanath directed the UP Police to be on high alert in order to keep the state peaceful. As part of the security measures, internet services are still unavailable in the old Prayagraj area.
The officials said in a statement “UP CM Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the Prayagraj incident. He immediately called a high-level meeting and ordered a high-level inquiry into the whole matter.”
Ironically, Atiq and Ashraf were killed on the same day that the gangster-turned-politician’ssonwas buried after being killed in an encounter on April 13 in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi. Following the incident, security was increased at key public installations and sensitive areas.
The three assailants, who were apprehended after shooting Atiq and Ashraf at point-blank range, will appear in court on Sunday.
Sunny Singh is from the Hamirpur district, Lavlesh Tiwari is from Banda, and Arun Maurya is from the village Baghela Pukhta, which is within the jurisdiction of the Soron Kotwali police station in Kasganj.