UP Assembly condoles deaths of former members, including Atiq Ahmad

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Monday condoled the deaths of former legislators, including Atiq Ahmad and his brother Khalid Azim Ashraf, who have died since the last sitting of the House.

Speaker Satish Mahana read out the condolence message at the start of the assembly's Monsoon session.

Gangster-politicians Ahmad and Ashraf were shot dead in April by three assailants when they were being escorted by police to a medical college in Prayagraj.

Ahmad was elected to the assembly as an Independent in 1989, 1991, 1993 and on a Samajwadi Party ticket in 1996. He returned to the House in 2002 on an Apna Dal ticket. He was elected as an MP in 2004.

Ashraf entered the assembly in 2005 after winning from Allahabad West on a Samajwadi Party ticket.

The House also condoled the deaths of former members Sattar Ahmed Ansari, Amar Singh, Prem Prakash Singh, Ranjit Singh, Sujan Singh Bundela, Sharda Prasad Shukla, Harishankar Tiwari, Avnish Kumar Singh, Haridwar Dubey and Abrar Ahmed.

The members observed two minutes' silence to condole the former legislators' deaths.