Alka Rai, widow of slain BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai, sees Mukhtar Ansari's death as 'divine blessing'

Ansari's recent convictions include a life sentence in June 2023 for the murder of Awadhesh Rai, brother of UP Congress president Ajay Rai, and a 10-year term in October 2023 for the 2009 murder of teacher Kapil Dev Singh.

Alka Rai, widow of blain BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai, sees Mukhtar Ansari's death as 'divine blessing' AJR

Team Asianet Newsable

First Published Mar 30, 2024, 10:09 AM IST

Following the demise of Mukhtar Ansari, the gangster-turned-politician responsible for her husband's 2005 murder, Alka Rai, the widow of UP BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai, expressed her sentiments, expressing his death as a "divine blessing."

Mukhtar Ansari (63), who suffered a fatal cardiac arrest in Banda jail on Thursday, was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in April 2023 for Rai's murder. The incident occurred in Ghazipur in November 2005 when Rai and six others were gunned down while returning home from a cricket tournament inauguration.

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Alka Rai expressed her gratitude and said, "It (Ansari's death) is a blessing from Baba (Lord Shiva). We always prayed to Baba for justice, and today we have received it."

"We haven't celebrated Holi since the incident, but today feels like Holi for us," she said after offering prayers at the Shri Kashi Vishwanath temple on Friday.

Following Ansari's demise, Varanasi police initiated patrols to maintain order, and Friday prayers were conducted peacefully across the city.

Ansari had been confined since 2005 in various Punjab and UP jails. He faced a total of 65 cases, with convictions in eight and 21 pending as of March 2024. His recent convictions include a life sentence in June 2023 for the murder of Awadhesh Rai, brother of UP Congress president Ajay Rai, and a 10-year term in October 2023 for the 2009 murder of teacher Kapil Dev Singh.

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Additionally, in December 2022, a Ghazipur court found him guilty, along with an associate, in a 26-year-old Gangster Act case. Earlier, in September 2022, the Allahabad High Court convicted him in two separate cases, one involving a threat to a jailer in 2003 and the other dating back to 1999.

Last Updated Mar 30, 2024, 10:10 AM IST