Normalcy yet to return to Atiq's native place, internet remains suspended

Normal activities were yet to resume in Kasari-Masari, the place where gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad's ancestral house is located, and adjoining areas of Prayagraj on Monday, a day after Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were buried in their native place.

The sensitive places in Allahabad West assembly constituency, which was the stronghold of the former Lok Sabha MP, on Monday continued to witness heavy deployment of police personnel.
Kasari-Masari falls in the Allahabad West assembly constituency.

A few shops opened in areas adjoining Chakia-Rajrooppur, Kareli and Khuldabad.

The police are conducting patrolling in the sensitive places in the area, sources said.

People were reluctant to speak about the gunning down of Ahmad and Ashraf on Saturday night, even as internet services remained suspended in the city.

However, normalcy returned to other parts of the city, including in and around Civil Line bus depot and Hanuman Temple on Monday.

Normal traffic was seen on the roads of the city with the office goers and school children rushing to their destinations.

The police sources said that the police may submit an application in the court in a day or two seeking remand of three assailants -- Lavlesh Tiwari (a resident of Banda), Mohit alias Sunny (Hamirpur) and Arun Maurya (Kasganj) -- who killed Ahmad and his brother Ashraf.

On Sunday, the three attackers were sent to 14-day judicial custody by a local court.

They could also be questioned about how they got such modern weapons, and whether anyone had given them a contract to kill Ahmad and Ashraf, the sources said.

According to the sources, during questioning of the three assailants it emerged that they knew each other and had planned to commit the crime, and had also started recce of various places in Prayagraj where Ahmad and Ashraf would be possibly taken to by the police.

An FIR has been registered against the assailants under Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC as well as relevant sections of the Arms Act.

The police said Lavlesh sustained injuries during cross firing, and was undergoing treatment at Swaroop Rani Medical College in Prayagraj.