Gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari dies in hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Banda

Gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, recently sentenced to life imprisonment for forged documents in an arms license case, has died in a Uttar Pradesh hospital after his health deteriorated.

Gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who had been lodged in Uttar Pradesh's Banda jail, died late Thursday night. Mukhtar's health deteriorated in the jail barrack following which the jail administration brought him to Rani Durgavati Medical College where his condition was said to be critical. Information was received that Mukhtar had to be shifted to the Critical Care Unit. 

A team of nine doctors was assigned to Mukhtar's treatment, but his life could not be saved. He had been admitted to the medical college on Tuesday, where he was diagnosed with constipation. After receiving treatment, he was sent back to jail the same day. His health was examined in jail on Wednesday, and everything appeared normal during the assessment.

Media reports have disclosed that Mukhtar Ansari's brother, Afzal Ansari, alleged that Mukhtar was subjected to poisoning while in jail, with a harmful substance mixed into his food. Afzal Ansari, who is an MP from Ghazipur, stated that Mukhtar claimed to have been poisoned twice while incarcerated. According to Afzal, the most recent incident occurred on March 19 or 22, leading to his brother's deteriorating health.

Earlier, Mukhtar had been transferred from Uttar Pradesh's Rani Durgawati Medical College to jail following his discharge on Tuesday. His admission to a hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Banda was prompted by complaints of abdominal pain while in jail.

Naseem Haider, Mukhtar's lawyer, asserted that the former MLA from the Mau constituency was encountering speech difficulties. Mukhtar, a five-time MLA from Mau, had previously contested assembly polls twice as a Bahujan Samaj Party candidate. His last participation in assembly elections was in 2017.

On March 13, Mukhtar was sentenced to life imprisonment in a case concerning the use of forged documents to obtain an arms licence in 1990. This marked the eighth conviction in the past two years for the former five-time MLA, as ruled by courts in Uttar Pradesh.