Diwali-like celebrations in UP's Ghazipur after Mukhtar Ansari's death; videos go viral (WATCH)

First Published Mar 29, 2024, 10:32 AM IST

Diwali-like celebrations took place in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur on Thursday night after news of jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's death due to cardiac arrest in Banda hospital came to light. Ansari, aged 63, was transported from the district jail to Rani Durgavati Medical College in Banda on Thursday evening while unconscious. He passed away at the hospital due to a cardiac arrest, as reported by its principal, Suneel Kaushal.

Family members of Ansari, including his son Umar Ansari, arrived in Banda early Friday. Umar Ansari alleged that his father was subjected to slow poisoning in jail, an accusation refuted by authorities.

"My father had told us he was being subjected to 'slow poison'," Umar Ansari told reporters and added that the entire country knows about it now.

Also read: 'Zero hour of law and order in UP...' Akhilesh Yadav after gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari's death

Umar Ansari announced plans to transport the body to Ghazipur for cremation after the postmortem.

Police have devised a route plan for the safe road transit of the body from Banda to Ghazipur, covering a distance of approximately 380 kilometers.

Security measures have been heightened in various parts of the state in anticipation of Friday prayers.

Mukhtar Ansari was admitted to the medical college around 8:25 pm on Thursday in an unconscious state following complaints of vomiting. Despite efforts by a team of nine doctors, he succumbed to cardiac arrest, as indicated in the medical bulletin.

Afzal Ansari, who serves as the Ghazipur MP, alleged on Tuesday that his brother was subjected to slow poisoning while 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 stated that during a virtual court hearing in a Barabanki court on March 21, Ansari's lawyer submitted an application alleging that his client had been administered "slow poison" in jail, leading to his deteriorating health.

Previously, Ansari had been hospitalized for approximately 14 hours on Tuesday after complaining of abdominal pain.

Also read: From first case at 17 to first conviction at 61: Look at Mukhtar Ansari's reign of terror

Meanwhile, security personnel in several districts of Uttar Pradesh remained on alert on Friday. Prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC have been imposed across the state and teams of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) along with the local police have been deployed in Banda, Mau, Ghazipur and Varanasi.

People have also started gathering at Mukhtar Ansari's residence in Ghazipur and there was a large deployment of security personnel around the house.

Last Updated Mar 29, 2024, 10:32 AM IST