Uttar Pradesh minister Dharampal Singh has alleged that the opposition parties were responsible for the recent killings of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf. Earlier this month, the men were shot dead at point-blank range by three individuals who had posed as journalists during a media interaction. The perpetrators were later arrested by the police. Ahmad and Ashraf had been brought to a medical college in Prayagraj for interrogation in relation to the murder of three individuals, including two police security guards, earlier this year. Singh claimed that the opposition feared the brothers would reveal damaging secrets, hence why they orchestrated their murders.