Five officers of the Uttar Pradesh Police have been suspended over the killings of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf.

The five cops were suspended in Prayagraj on Wednesday.

Shahganj Inspector or Station Officer (SO) Ashwani Kumar Singh, two inspectors, and two constables are those who have been suspended for dereliction of duty.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the sensational killings questioned all the police personnel including Shahganj Inspector on Tuesday after which this action was taken on the basis of its report.

The five officers were posted at the Shahganj police station. The medical college where Ahmed and his brother were murdered comes under the jurisdiction of Shahganj Police. 

This comes a day after the Uttar Pradesh government ordered the transfer of the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) who was present when the Ahmed brothers were shot dead on Saturday.

On Saturday, Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot dead inside the premises of MLN Medical College in Prayagraj. The killing was captured live on television channels as Atiq and Ashraf were about to speak to the media. The sound of indiscriminate fire was heard as both of them collapsed on the ground.

Atiq and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men identified as Arun Maurya, Sunny Singh and Lovelesh Tiwari, posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction.

Earlier today, the killers were sent to four-day police custody by a Prayagraj court. The three will be produced in court again on April 23.

The special probe team recorded statements from the three men and will recreate the crime scene as part of the investigations. 

On Tuesday, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to Uttar Pradesh Police seeking detailed report on the killings within four weeks.