A short while after gangster turned politician Atiq Ahmed was shot dead in Prayagraj, several leaders including former Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav took to Twitter on Saturday night to condemn the act.
Yadav said that crime has reached its peak in the state and the morale of the 'criminals' has grown by leaps and bounds. Taking to Twitter, he wrote in Hindi, "Crime has reached its peak in UP and the morale of the criminals is high. When someone can be killed openly despite being surrounded by a security cordon, one can imagine the state of the general public. Due to this (alleged encounter killings), an ambience of fear is being created among the public. It seems that some people are deliberately creating such an ambience."
All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) cheif Assaduddin Owaisi too said, "Atiq and his brother were in police custody. He was handcuffed. JSR slogans were also raised. The killing of both is the failure of Yogi's law and order system. Those celebrating encounter raj are also responsible for this murder."
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