Did Kamal Nath call gangster Atiq’s murder ‘unfortunate’?

Hyderabad: A video of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath answering the media’s question about gangster Atiq Ahmed’s murder is going viral on social media. The video reportedly shows him saying that the murder was “unfortunate.”

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The murder of gangster-turned-politician Atiq and his brother Ashraf on 15 March was captured on camera. It has polarised the nation with some cheering the incident and others criticising the failure of law enforcement in Uttar Pradesh.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the video does not show Kamal Nath’s full answer and is being shared out of context.

We ran a keyword search and came across a report in the Hindustan Times published on 16 April. It said MP Congress chief Kamal Nath has demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the killing of Atiq Ahmad and his brother.

It also said that Bhartiya Janta Party has accused Mr. Nath of siding with the mafia for the politics of appeasement.

Next, we found a longer version of the video live-streamed on the official Facebook page of the Madhya Pradesh Congress on 16 April. The viral clip appears around the 2-minute mark.

Mr. Nath can be heard saying, “It is unfortunate that today murders are happening in broad daylight. What does it indicate? Where are the law and order? What kind of politics is taking place in Uttar Pradesh and the country? One day someone is killed and the next day someone else. It is for society to think about where UP and the country are headed. The Supreme Court should take notice of it and order an inquiry.”

After watching Mr. Nath’s full statement, it is clear that the former MP CM was expressing his sadness over the way the whole incident took place and not particularly on the killing of Atiq Ahmed. Hence, we conclude that the viral clip is misleading.