'Rona bandh kijiye...': Kangana Ranaut reacts to Atiq Ahmed killing; hails UP CM amid uproar over 'Jungle Raj'

A day after gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range in Prayagraj, actress Kangana Ranaut took to Instagram to send a message to those crying over the sensational killings.

"Jungle raj" and "mafia raj" were some of the words used to describe Uttar Pradesh and even India by opposition leaders as they hit out at the BJP government over the murder of Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf.

Also read: Prayagraj shocker: Timeline of how 3 men, posing as journalists, killed Atiq Ahmed, brother Ashraf (WATCH)

The Bollywood diva, who has in the past praised Yogi Adityanath, once again took the opportunity to laud the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and, this time, equated him to the great kings of Ayodhya who 'saved India'.

Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists during a media interaction on Saturday night while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup. Ahmed, a former SP MP, and his brother were brought to the city for a court hearing in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case and were remanded in police custody.

In her first Instagram post, Kangana Ranaut posted a photograph of Yogi Adityanath and wrote: "You guys stop crying...the cries are reaching me!"

"The scriptures say that religion is not established only by following religion, but by the destruction of unrighteousness. Ayodhya has a tradition of ascetic kings who have saved India... Jai Shri Ram," added the Bollywood actress in the same post.

In her next Instagram post, Kangana Ranaut shared an old video of her meeting with Yogi Adityanath and noted in the caption: "Yogi ji said in the first meeting, you are my sister and if there is anything related to your safety, tell me, Yogi ji, such a great and gentle personality, may your fame and fame spread all over the world."

Earlier, Kangana Ranaut took to Twitter to praise Yogi Adityanath after Atiq Ahmed's son Asad and an accomplice, both wanted for Umesh Pal's murder case, were eliminated in a police encounter.

Jungle raj, mafia raj: Opposition targets BJP-led Centre over killings of Atiq Ahmed, Ashraf

Meanwhile, in a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the rule of law as laid down in our country's Constitution is paramount. 

"Criminals should be given the harshest punishment, but it should be under the law of the land. Subverting or violating the rule of law and judicial process for any political purpose is dangerous for our democracy," Ramesh said. "Whoever does this, or gives protection to those who do such acts, should also be held responsible and the law should be strictly enforced on them," he said.

It should be our collective endeavour to ensure that the judicial system and rule of law is at all times honoured in letter and spirit, Ramesh said.

BSP chief Mayawati said the killing of Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in police custody in Prayagraj raises serious questions over the style of functioning of the Uttar Pradesh government.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said it would be better if the Supreme Court took cognisance of this "extremely serious and worrisome" incident, which is being discussed across the country.

Also read: Who are Atiq Ahmed and his brother's killers? From drug addiction, mafia mindset and more

In a series of tweets, she said, "Now, instead of 'rule of law by law' in Uttar Pradesh, how appropriate is it that it becomes 'encounter Pradesh'? Something to think about."

"The shooting dead of Atiq Ahmad, who was brought from Gujarat jail and his brother Ashraf, who was brought from Bareilly jail last night in Prayagraj, in police custody, is just as heinous as the Umesh Pal murder case. It raises serious questions on the law and order of the UP government, and its style of functioning," she said.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said stringent action should be taken against those involved in the incident. "Jungle Raj under BJP Yogi govt in UP. Its USP: Encounter killings, Bulldozer politics & patronising criminals. Enforce rule of law; apprehend perpetrators & punish them stringently," he said in a tweet 

TMC MP Mouha Moitra said the country has been turned into "mafia raj". "BJP has turned India into a mafia republic. I will say it here, I will say it abroad, I will say it everywhere because it is the truth. 2 men in custody shot dead in front of a zillion policemen & cameras - this is the death of the rule of law," she said. 

Moitra also said that she can even believe that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got the shooting done simply to "deflect attention" from repercussions to the Satyapal Malik interview. "Nothing, just nothing, is beyond this government," she said.

Briefing reporters about the incident, Commissioner of Police, Prayagraj, Ramit Sharma said the three assailants, who were arrested immediately after the incident, had joined the group of media persons who were trying to get sound bites from Ahmed and Ashraf. 

"In accordance with a mandatory legal requirement, Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf were brought to the hospital for a medical examination. According to preliminary information, three men posing as journalists approached them and opened fire. Ahmad and Ashraf were killed in the attack. The attackers have been held and are being questioned," Sharma said.

Also Read |'Nahi le gaye to nahi gaye..': Atiq Ahmed’s last words on son's burial minutes before being shot dead

Video footage showed a man thrusting a gun at Ahmad's head as he talked to reporters and the former Samajwadi Party (SP) MP collapsing. The footage also showed the three assailants firing at the brothers even after they had fallen. The bullet-riddled bodies of Ahmed and Ashraf were taken away from the spot as tension gripped the area after the sensational killings.

Police patrolling was intensified on Sunday in Prayagraj's Chakiya area where gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed's house is located even as the Uttar Pradesh police tightened security across the state. Prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) have been issued in all districts of Uttar Pradesh to prevent any untoward incident. Internet services remain shut in Prayagraj district as part of the security measures. 

(With inputs from PTI)