Slogans in praise of Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf, gangsters turned politicians who were slain before the camera while in police custody at Prayagraj last week, were on Friday heard close to the largest mosque in Bihar capital.
A statement by Mohd Faisal Imam, who heads the managing committee of the Jama Masjid in Patna, was shared by the Patna district administration on social media, in an obvious attempt to keep passions under control, especially in view of the Eid ul Fitr festivities on Saturday.
“The matter relating to Atiq Ahmed pertains to Uttar Pradesh. In Bihar, the Nitish Kumar government has ensured excellent law and order”, Imam told reporters who had made a dash to the crowded mosque, situated adjacent to the Patna Junction, upon learning about the shouting of slogans after the prayers.
Rajiv Mishra, the senior superintendent of police, Patna, told PTI: “We have not made any arrests or detentions in connection with the incident. But we are taking all preventive measures that may be required in view of the situation”.
The crowd at the mosque was larger than usual, unsurprisingly because it happened to be the last “Jumma” (Friday) of the holy month of Ramzan.
In a video that has gone viral, a section of the crowd can be seen chanting slogans in praise of the slain men and denouncing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The Bharatiya Janata Party was quick to blame the slogan-shouting on the “Muslim appeasement politics” of the ruling Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, which includes Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress and the Left.
“Slogans calling a criminal like Atiq a martyr were raised in the heart of the city. This shows a complete administrative failure. It also shows that given a free hand, Nitish Kumar, with the help of RJD, Congress and the Left will not shy away from turning Bihar into a Pakistan where pro-PFI (Popular Front of India) elements would rule the roost and implement the Talibani law”, state BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand said in a statement.
Atiq Ahmed, a former MP, and Ashraf, an ex-MLA, were shot dead by three gun-toting youths who raised religious slogans while opening fire and handed themselves over to the police afterwards last week.
The brother duo was wanted in a number of serious criminal cases, the most famous of these being the assassination of Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Raju Pal, who was gunned down in January 2005, barely three months after snatching away Allahabad West seat, a pocket borough of Ahmed, who had won it five times on the trot before getting elected to the Lok Sabha from Phulpur.
Meanwhile, the BJP's allegations were rebutted by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD-U which accused the saffron party of playing up the Atiq Ahmed issue because he “belonged to a particular religious community”.
“Atiq Ahmed was a dreaded criminal who was not respected even by men of his own faith. Slogans glorifying him can never be condoned, though we do not know who were involved in raising these. But let the BJP not act too innocent. It must admit that it had hobnobbed with Atiq when it was politically convenient”, alleged JD-U MLC and chief spokesman Neeraj Kumar.
“Is it not a fact that the BJP had sought Atiq's support during the voting in Parliament on the Indo-US nuclear deal? Would its leaders of those days, some of whom are now in the Margadarshak Mandal, apologise?” asked Kumar.
He was referring to the no-confidence motion the Congress-led UPA had faced in 2008 after the Left Front withdrew its support following differences with the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over inking the pact with the United States.
The Samajwadi Party had come out in support of the UPA, enabling the government to survive, though Ahmed, who was then an SP MP, along with a few others, cross-voted against the ruling coalition.
RJD spokesman Mrityunjay Tiwari also dismissed the BJP's allegation that the slogans denoted a deterioration in law and order, for which his party is often targeted.
“I do not know who raised what type of slogans. But I am confident that the administration will take swift action in accordance with our leader and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav's clear signals that no criminal activities will be tolerated,” Tiwari said.
Meanwhile, the police said it has made elaborate security arrangements to ensure that the Eid festivities go off peacefully.
“Altogether 350 sensitive points have been identified across the state. These will be manned by police personnel, assisted by state armed forces, central paramilitary forces and Home Guards. There will be an adequate deployment of forces at places like Gandhi Maidan at Patna, where a large namaz congregation takes place on the occasion of Eid,” a statement issued by the police headquarters said.
