Ansari, was brought to the emergency department of Rani Durgavati Medical College at around 8:25 pm on Thursday after he complained of nausea and faintness. He ultimately succumbed to a cardiac arrest, according to a medical bulletin issued by the hospital. He was also admitted to the hospital on Tuesday after he complained of abdominal pain, but was discharged that evening itself. His family, including his elder brother and MP Afzal Ansari as well as his lawyer had alleged Ansari was being “slow poisoned” by the jail authorities. Soon after his death, some opposition leaders demanded a high-level enquiry into his death, taking cue from his family’s allegations and some even going on to call it a “state-orchestrated murder”.
Heavy deployment of forces was effected in Mau.
Ansari was a five-term MLA from Mau, representing the Bahujan Samaj Party twice, his own party Quami Ekta Dal once and contesting as an independent twice. He traced his lineage to freedom fighter and nationalist Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari- his grandfather, who had also served as the president of the Indian National Congress and was one of the founders of the Jamila Milia Islamia university. Ansari started his political career in the 1990s as a student leader in Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi and was elected as an MLA for the first time in 1996 from Mau on a BSP ticket.
While also hailed in the Ghazipur-Mau and adjoining areas of eastern UP as a “messiah of the poor”, Ansari was one of the top listed criminals of UP. He had been booked in 61 cases across UP and Punjab including in many cases of murder. Despite four decades of criminal history, it was only in 2022 that he received his first conviction ever under the relentless campaign of the Yogi government to bring mafias to book, under which it was also ensured that witnesses were protected so they could testify against hardened criminals. Since 2022, Ansari had been convicted in eight cases, including two life imprisonments. The state government has also confiscated his property worth close to Rs 300 crore in a gradual weakening of his empire.
It was the killing of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai in 2005 as well as the killing of Awdhesh Rai, elder brother of Congress leader and current Congress chief of UP, Ajay Rai, in 1991, that Ansari gained most notoriety from. He had been in Ropar jail in Punjab since 2005 but was brought back to UP by the state government in 2021 after the state moved the Supreme Court asking for his custody. Even then, when he was bring shifted to UP, his brother Afzal Ansari had expressed apprehensions over his safety. OPPOSITION LEADERS ALLEGE FOUL PLAY
Following Ansari’s death, many opposition leaders demanded a high level enquiry into his death. “The way accused undertrial Mukhtar Ansari has died in police custody, raises serious questions on UP’s BJP government. Before this, criminal Munna Bajrangi was killed in jail, some criminals were killed by shooters while they were being taken to the hospital.. is this law and order in UP? Is this how jails will run in the state? Mukhtar Ansari had accused few days back that he was being slow poisoned and today the administration says he died of cardiac arrest. There should be an enquiry supervised by a High Court sitting judge so that people get to know what is happening in jails and how a jungle raj is being run by the government. The country should be governed by law and it is the court’s responsibility to declare judgements,” Congress leader Surendra Rajput said.
“Even a death sentence by the court is accepted but a government-orchestrated murder is not. Tributes to Mukhtar Ansari,” Javed Ali Khan, SP MP said.
RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav said despite him complaining of being slow poisoned, his allegations were not taken seriously. “Prima facie it does not appear judicially appropriate and humanitarian. Constitutional agencies should take suo moto cognisance of such unusual incidents,” he said.
