Mahua Moitra believes Atiq’s killing was staged to deflect attention from Malik’s shocking revelations

New Delhi: The ever-belligerent TMC leader Mahua Moitra, known for fiery speeches against the shortcomings of the PM Modi-led BJP government at the Centre, did not mince words while reacting to the killing of a former SP MP and gangster-turned-politician and his brother, who were both being escorted in police custody.

Through a tweet, she lambasted the BJP, alleging that the saffron party turned the country into a mafia republic, and vowing that she would raise this issue in the country, abroad, and wherever she wishes without fear.

"BJP has turned India into a mafia republic. I will say it here, I will say it abroad, I will say it everywhere because this is the truth. Two men in custody shot dead in front of a zillion policemen and cameras -- this is the death of the rule of law," the TMC leader said in a tweet.

She went on to question the timing of the killing, especially when the country was in shock following former J&K governor Satya Pal Malik's revelations, including the Pulwama attack, which could put the BJP government in political as well as judicial trouble for their failure. She strongly believes that it was an attempt to deflect attention from his revelations.

“I can even believe BJP got UP shooting done simply to deflect attention away from Satyapal Malik’s interview repercussions. Nothing, just nothing, is beyond this government,” the TMC firebrand MP tweeted.

Calling the UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath by his real name, Moitra tweeted, “So basically Ajay Bisht & @Uppolice found 3 men who very conveniently have 'no family connections' to kill Atiq & his brother. That’s how all terrorist organisations recruit their hitmen btw.”

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has called the recent killing of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf a "cold-blooded murder", and has accused the BJP government of being involved in the incident. Owaisi addressed the media on Sunday morning and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored investigation, adding that no officer from Uttar Pradesh should be included in the investigating committee. "This was a cold-blooded murder," he said.

The killing occurred just days after Atiq Ahmad's son, Asad, was killed in an encounter in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. Atiq Ahmad was accused in the murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal in 2005 and also in the subsequent killing of Umesh Pal, a key witness in the BSP leader's murder, in February this year. All three assailants were arrested, police confirmed after Atiq and his brother were shot dead.

The incident has raised questions about the timing of the killings, with some suggesting that it was an attempt to deflect attention from recent revelations made by former J&K governor Satya Pal Malik, including the government's alleged failure to prevent the Pulwama attack. Owaisi has condemned those who are celebrating the killings, calling them "vultures".

The three assailants involved in the killing of Atiq and Ashraf Ahmad have been identified as Sunny Singh from Hamirpur district, Lavlesh Tiwari from Kotwali in Banda, and Arun Maurya from village Baghela Pukhta within the limits of Soron Kotwali police station in Kasganj.