Updated on: 17 April 2023 04:18 PM IST | Mumbai
S S Nadar | news@debotimes.in

A Supervision Team has also been set up by UP Director General of Police RK Vishwakarma to oversee the functioning of the SIT and guide the probe.

The murder of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf late Saturday night - by three armed men and despite an escort of armed Uttar Pradesh Police personnel - will be investigated by a three-member special investigation team set up by the state's police force.

The team will be headed by Satish Chandra, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police and include Satendra Prasad Tiwari, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kotwali), and Inspector Om Prakash from the Investigation Cell of Prayagraj Police's Crime Branch.

A statement from the office of Prayagraj's top cop said the SIT had been directed to 'complete the investigation in a quality and time-bound manner (and) in a scientific manner..."

The statement referred to a large number of statements/pieces of evidence of witnesses, a compilation of archival/electronic pieces of evidence (and) compilation of scientific/forensic pieces of evidence, as well as 'conducting tests from forensic science laboratory'.

These, it indicated, were meant to ensure a 'fair and quality investigation'.

In addition to the investigation team, a 'supervision' team has been set up by RK Vishwakarma, the Director-General of UP Police to oversee the SIT's progress.

The 'supervision' team counts Bhanu Bhaskar, the Additional Director General of Police (Prayagraj Zone), as its head and Ramit Sharma, the Prayagraj Police Commissioner, and the Director of the state's Forensic Science Laboratory as members.

On Sunday, the UP government set up a three-member team headed by Arvind Kumar Tripathi, a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court. It will include two other members - Brijesh Kumar Soni, another retired judge, and Subesh Kumar Singh, an ex-DGP.

Atiq Ahmad's murder comes days after his son and an aide were shot dead by UP Police's Special Task Force during an 'encounter' in Jhansi. Asad Ahmad and Ghulam were gunned down by the cops who had mounted a 'special operation' to arrest the two.

Both Atiq and Asad were accused in the February killing of lawyer Umesh Pal, who was a witness to the 2005 murder of Bahujan Samaj Party lawmaker Raju Pal. Umesh Pal and two UP cops assigned to guard him were shot dead outside the former's home in Prayagraj.