Mukhtar Ansari's mortal remains to reach Ghazipur late tonight, last rites today | HIGHLIGHTS

The mortal remains of the gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari will reach at around 1 am tonight (March 30). Meanwhile, his last rites will be held at 10 am on Saturday. 

The convoy carrying the mortal remains of Mukhtar Ansari moves from Varanasi towards Ghazipur, the native place of the gangster-turned-politician, for his last rites. 

Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's body is being taken from Banda to Ghazipur, where his last rites will take place, under heavy security on Friday.

Police have completed the preparations in Ghazipur. According to the information, the dead body will be available till late night, following which the last rites will be performed in the morning after namaz. He further said that vigil is being maintained since last night. "The family is also cooperating. At present the situation is normal in the district, markets are open normally everywhere in the city, including Saidpur, Zamaniya. Meanwhile, some shops near Ansari's house in Mohammadabad have been voluntarily closed by people to express their condolences."

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi says, "The state (Uttar Pradesh)is being run by the rule of the gun and not by the rule of law. Mukhtar Ansari was in judicial custody when his family filed a case in the Supreme Court stating that there was an apprehension by the family that he would be killed inside the prison. Now, he dies and the family say that slow poison was given to him. The surprising thing is that he was not taken to the specialised hospital but to a hospital where there was no proper medical attention given to him and within a short span of time he was sent back to prison. I hope the Uttar Pradesh govt will have an impartial inquiry in the interest of Justice and in the interest of the rule of law. The whole world should know what has happened."

Initial post-mortem reports suggested that Mukhtar Ansari died due to cardiac arrest, although the official report is still awaited.

Reported by Vishal Singh

"I have written a letter that it should be done by doctors of AIIMS Delhi. We don't trust the medical system, government and administration here," said Mukhtar Ansari's son Umar Ansari.

BJP leader Sidharth Nath Singh said, "Mukhtar Ansari is a criminal; his post-mortem is underway and reports are yet to be out despite that, in a way, political party, especially leaders of SP, Congress and BSP, are jumping now, shows how much pain they have for a criminal. Serious allegations have been made against Mukhtar Ansari and even the court sentenced him to life imprisonment but still their pain towards him indicates how they (SP, Congress and BSP) backed the protection of 'mafia raj'."

Shops remained closed on Friday in Mohammadabad Yusufpur township in Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh, the native place of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari who died of a cardiac arrest a day before. Ansari's body will be brought to his native place for the last rites during the day. A large number of security personnel have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order. People were seen waiting for the arrival of body of the five-time MLA, who was rushed to a hospital from the Banda jail on Thursday after his health condition deteriorated. Ansari died at the hospital during treatment. A grave has been dug at the Ansari family's burial ground in Kali Bagh for the last rites, Circle Officer (CO) Atar Singh and Pawan Kumar Upadhyaya, an inspector attached to the Mohammadabad police station, said. They said Ansari's family members have informed them that the last rites will be performed on Friday if the body reaches here by 10 pm. Otherwise, the last rites would be performed on Saturday morning.

Mukhtar Ansari's viscera has been preserved after his post-mortem ended. Now, the documentation process is going on after which Mukhtar's body will be kept in the vehicle which will depart for Ghazipur from Banda.

The post-mortem process of Mukhtar Ansari ended in Banda medical college. A chief judicial magistrate's court in Uttar Pradesh's Banda on Friday ordered a judicial inquiry into the death of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, a senior official said. Banda Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Bhagwan Das Gupta appointed Garima Singh, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (MP-MLA Court Banda) as the investigating officer in the case, the official said. The CJM has sought the probe report within a month. The 63-year-old Ansari was brought to the Rani Durgavati Medical College in Banda from the district jail in "an unconscious state" on Thursday evening and died at the hospital following a cardiac arrest.

(With inputs from Vishal Singh) 

Raising a question mark on the law-and-order situation in Uttar Pradesh after the death of mafia don-turned-politician Mukhtan Ansari following a cardiac arrest in Banda, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said there should be a probe supervised by a Supreme Court judge into such doubtful cases. Ansari died in the Banda Medical College due to a cardiac arrest on Thursday. He was rushed to the hospital from the district jail after his health condition deteriorated. In a post in Hindi on X, Yadav said, "It is the foremost responsibility and duty of the government to protect someone's life in every situation and at every place." "The death of a hostage or prisoner in any of the following circumstances will erode public confidence in the judicial process -- while confined in a police station, in a fight inside the jail, on falling ill inside the prison, while being taken to hospital, during treatment in hospital, by showing a false encounter, by showing a false suicide, by showing casualties in an accident -- all such doubtful cases should be probed under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge," he added. "A government that cannot protect lives has no right to remain in power," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, claiming that the state is going through the worst phase of "government anarchy".

Mukhtar Ansari's son Umar had demanded the post-mortem of his father's body to be done by AIIMS doctors. He wrote a letter to the District Magistrate of Banda this morning. The conversation with Mukhtar over the call has also been mentioned in the letter.

(With inputs from Avinash Tiwari) 

SP Mau said, "...Section 144 CrPC is already in place. Appeal is being made to everyone to maintain peace and not take note of any rumours that are being spread through social media.  Since Jumma Namaz will be offered today, an adequate Police force is being deployed at all sensitive areas across the district...The situation is peaceful, there is no problem..."

Mukhtar Ansari's lawyer Chandrajeet Yadav said, "Documentation process is going on. A panel of doctors is being formed and the postmortem will start soon. Some documents had to be signed for which we have come here. We will give updates as soon as we receive any..."

SP Mau said, "As soon as we received information of Mukhtar Ansari's death, Mau Police immediately deployed personnel in sensitive areas. Today, we are on high alert because Friday namaz will also be offered... Some rumours have been doing the rounds that a curfew has been imposed in the region. Section 144 of the CrPC has already been imposed in Mau. I appeal to everyone to maintain peace and not believe in rumours. Action will be taken against those who spread rumours...".

Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh are demanding a high-level probe into the death of jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who had earlier alleged that he was being given slow poison in his food in jail. In a post on X, Bahujan Samaj Party President Mayawati said that a high-level inquiry should be set up to probe the allegations levelled by Mukhtar Ansari so that the facts come out in the open. Samajwadi General Secretary Prof Ram Gopal Yadav has sought a judicial probe into the death of Mukhtar Ansari. He posted on X that the apprehension expressed by Ansari had proved to be true and the circumstances of his death were a matter of concern. He said that Ansari had informed the court about his being given poison. Congress leader Surendra Rajput said, “Mukhtar Ansari's death in the jail raises a big question on the BJP-led UP government. This should be investigated thoroughly so that everyone gets to know what is going on.” He further said that other jail inmates like Munna Bajrangi, Sanjeev Maheshwari, Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were also killed either in jail or in court or in police custody.

A route plan was prepared from Banda to Ghazipur to carry the body of gangster Mukhtar Ansari. A convoy of 26 vehicles will be there on the journey of around 400 km. Entry will be made from Banda to Fatehpur, Prayagraj via Kaushambi. Entry will be made to Bhadohi from Kokhraj Handia Bypass. The route from Bhadohi to Ghazipur via Varanasi is also ready. Police officials will be present along with the ambulance. The vehicles of the family members will run in middle of the convoy.

Panchnama is being done in the presence of five people. Later, the team will take the dead body under the leadership of Circle Officer and will leave for Ghazipur around 12 noon.

(With inputs from Vishal Singh) 

The post-mortem on the body of jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who died of cardiac arrest on Thursday night, will be conducted by five doctors in the rank of Chief Medical Superintendent today morning. The body has already been shifted to the mortuary. The family of the will be allowed to remain present during the post-mortem and the entire process will be videographed. Mukhtar's younger son, Umar Ansari, told media that their family wanted the autopsy be carried out in another district, instead of Banda. Family sources said that their lawyers will also put in an application for parole for Abbas Ansari, Mukhtar's elder son, so that he can attend his father's burial. Abbas is presently lodged in Kasganj jail. Meanwhile, the burial will take place later on Friday in Kalibagh graveyard in Mahmoodabad in Ghazipur.

After the death of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari due to cardiac arrest, Umar Ansari, son of Mukhtar Ansari, claimed that his father was given poison in the food and said they would move to the judiciary. "We have full faith in it," he added."I was not told anything from the administration side, I came to know about it through the media... But now the whole nation knows everything... Two days ago I came to meet him, but I was not allowed... We said earlier also and even today we will say the same about the allegation of giving slow poison. On March 19, he was poisoned in the dinner. We will move to the judiciary, we have full faith in it..." Umar Ansari, son of Mukhtar Ansari, said.

"We don't have any information about when the postmortem will be done. We were hoping that the postmortem would be done in the night itself and the body would be handed over to us in the morning. I don't understand why the administration is delaying it," says Sibgatullah Ansari, Mukhtar Ansari's elder brother.