New Delhi, April 20, 2023 (PPI-OT): Civil rights group, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has raised a series of questions about the killing of former Member of Indian Parliament, Atiq Ahmed, and his brother Ashraf on April 15, saying that the answers to them “will tell us whether it was a question of mere negligence by the Uttar Pradesh police or a deeper conspiracy by the UP police and the UP administration, in the murders themselves”. The two brothers were shot dead while they were speaking to the media by three assailants. While the murderers have been arrested, questions about procedural and security lapses on the UP police’s part have been raised.

In a statement, the PUCL said the Yogi Adityanath government has a responsibility “to ensure that vigilante murders do not occur and that the police do not kill people extra-judicially”. It added, “It is the right of the accused to prove their innocence in a court of law, through due process, which has been blatantly denied and summary (in) justice is meted out without fair trial. This is in blatant violation of Articles 14 and 21 of the Indian Constitution and cannot be allowed or condoned.” PUCL said it is concerned that the de facto policy of the Adityanath government of “treating rule of law as an unnecessary irritant of no consequence” will result in the destruction of one of the basic pillars of constitutional democracy and pave the way for “lawlessness and brute power”.

“It is up to other institutions of accountability right from the media, the judiciary, the NHRC and other independent human rights bodies to defend this core democratic principle in the face of this ferocious assault on the rule of law by the UP administration,” the statement said. The Adityanath government’s assertion that criminals are not entitled to the rule of law is antithetical to the values of the constitution, PUCL said, warning those in the public who support this “amoral position” that is making an exception to the edifice of rule of law will result in a slippery slope.

“If this trend is not checked the state will feel emboldened to opt for vigilante justice, including extrajudicial executions, against all those questioning its actions and policies. The ground for this has been prepared through the relentless delegitimisation of all dissent, dubbing those who are exercising the right to free speech as ‘anti-nationals’,” the PUCL said.

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