LUCKNOW: Security personnel in various districts of Uttar Pradesh remained vigilant on Friday, following the demise of Mukhtar Ansari, a former gangster turned politician, due to a heart attack in Banda.
Prohibitory orders have been enforced under section 144 of the CrPC statewide. Teams comprising the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and local police have been stationed in Banda, Mau, Ghazipur, and Varanasi, as confirmed by Uttar Pradesh director general of police Prashant Kumar.
Residents gathered at Ansari's residence in Ghazipur amidst a significant security presence. The postmortem of Mukhtar Ansari is currently being conducted at Banda Medical College Hospital under the supervision of Principal Suneel Kaushal. The procedure is being recorded on video, with a team of doctors overseeing the process.
Notable officials such as district magistrate Durga Shakti Nagpal and superintendent of police Ankur Agarwal, along with a substantial security detail, are present at the hospital. Paramilitary and central forces have been deployed as a precautionary measure outside the medical college.
Mukhtar Ansari, aged 63, was transferred from the district jail to Rani Durgavati Medical College in an unconscious state and passed away following a cardiac arrest. Family members, including his son Umar Ansari and counsel Naseem Haider, will transport the body to his hometown Ghazipur for the final rites after the postmortem.
Haider mentioned that the body will be taken to Ghazipur via Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, and Varanasi, with the last rites scheduled at the Kali Bagh family burial ground.
Umar Ansari, speaking to reporters, alleged that his father had been slowly poisoned in jail. However, authorities have denied the accusation.
"We got the news of his demise only through the media. We will demand a high-level inquiry and do whatever we have to do through court. We have full confidence in the court," he said.
Asked whose role he sees in the incident, he said it is a matter of investigation.
"We will get justice from the court," he added.
Authorities have planned a safe road route for transporting Mukhtar Ansari's body over 380 Km from Banda to Ghazipur. Security has been increased for Friday prayers.
Mukhtar Ansari was taken to the medical college on Thursday night after vomiting, where he later died due to a heart attack. His brother, Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari, suspects foul play, claiming Mukhtar was poisoned in jail.
"Mukhtar said that he was given a poisonous substance in food in jail. This happened for the second time. Around 40 days ago also he was given poison. And recently, he was again given this (poison) due to which his condition is bad," Afzal Ansari said.
Afzal Ansari's lawyer alleged during a virtual court hearing in Barabanki that his client was being given 'slow poison' in jail, leading to his deteriorating health. Ansari had been hospitalized for 14 hours due to abdominal pain earlier.
Following Mukhtar Ansari's death, parties in Uttar Pradesh called for an investigation. Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav stressed the government's duty to protect lives and urged a Supreme Court judge-led probe.
BSP's Mayawati also demanded a high-level inquiry into the gangster-turned-politician's demise.
In a post on X, she said, "The persistent apprehensions and serious allegations made by Mukhtar Anasari's family regarding his death in jail require a high-level investigation so that the true facts of his death can be revealed."
Bhim Army founder and Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) president Chandra Shekhar Aazad demanded a CBI investigation into the death of Ansari.
"Earlier he had expressed apprehension that he will be murdered. I demand from the High Court of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh for a CBI investigation into his death," the Dalit leader added.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former deputy Bihar chief minister Tejashwi Yadav also expressed grief at Ansari's death.
"A few days ago he had complained that he had been poisoned in jail, yet it was not taken seriously. Prima facie this does not seem justifiable and humane. Constitutional institutions should take suo motu cognizance of such strange cases and incidents," Tejashwi Yadav said in a post in Hindi on X.
Former Bihar MP Pappu Yadav, who recently joined the Congress, labeled Ansari's death as an "institutional murder" and urged for a court-monitored investigation into the matter.
"The Chief Justice of India should take suo motu cognizance of this. There should be a court-monitored impartial investigation," stated the Congress leader.
Ansari, a five-time MLA from Mau Sadar seat, had been in custody in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab since 2005, with over 60 criminal cases pending against him.
(With inputs from PTI)
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