On Sunday, a request was made to the Supreme Court to establish an impartial committee led by a former judge of the apex court to investigate the death of Atiq Ahmed, a gangster-turned-politician, and his brother Ashraf, who was fatally shot while under police escort. This request was made after the incident. Advocate Vishal Tiwari filed a plea requesting an investigation into 183 encounters that have occurred in Uttar Pradesh since 2017.

On Saturday night in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, ahmed (60) and Ashraf, who were under police escort on their way to a medical college for a checkup, were fatally shot by three men who posed as journalists and approached them while they were responding to reporters’ inquiries, despite being in handcuffs. The final funeral ceremonies for ahmed’s son Asad, who, along with one of his associates, was killed in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, took place just a few hours before the shooting.

The request was made for the establishment of an impartial panel of experts to investigate the death of Atiq and Ashraf. “An Independent Expert Committee should be established under the supervision of a former Supreme Court justice to investigate the 183 encounters that have taken place since 2017, as accounts by the Uttar Pradesh Special Director General of Police (Law and Order), and the police custody killing of Atiq and Ashraf. The committee should provide instruction and proper directives to make sure the preservation of the rule of law,” the petitioner said.

According to the plea, extrajudicial killings or fake police encounters are not by the law. As per the statement, if the police become reckless and engage in dangerous behaviour, it can lead to a breakdown of the rule of law and instil fear in people towards the police. This situation can pose a significant threat to democracy and also contribute to a rise in criminal activity.