Mukhtar Ansari dies

March 22, he was again given this (poison) due to which his condition is bad,” Afzal Ansari had been quoted as having alleged in media reports.

The prison department had, however, said Ansari’s health had deteriorated and he had fallen in the washroom before being taken to the hospital around 3.45 am on Tuesday.

“Due to the sudden deterioration in the health of prisoner Mukhtar Ansari and falling in the toilet in the night, he was immediately given treatment by the jail doctor.

After informing the district administration, a team of doctors was called by which the prisoner was referred to the medical college in the night itself,” a statement by the prison administration had said.

Ansari, who hailed from Mau, was believed to have strong influence in adjoining Ghazipur and Varanasi districts as well. He has over 60 criminal cases pending against him. He has been sentenced in eight cases since September 2022 by different courts of UP and was lodged in the Banda jail.

His name was on the list of 66 gangsters issued by Uttar Pradesh Police last year. His family members had earlier expressed apprehension that Mukhtar

Ansari could be killed in a fake encounter.

The Samajwadi Party condoled Ansari’s death.

“Sad demise of former MLA Shri Mukhtar Ansari. May his soul rest in peace. May the bereaved family members get the strength to bear this immense loss. Humble tribute,” the party said in a post in Hindi on X.

Another gangster and mafia don turned politician Atiq Ahmad, a former MP, who hailed from Prayagraj and was in police custody, was shot dead on April 15, 2023, along with his brother by assailants when he was being taken for a medical check up in Prayagraj.

His son was also killed in an encounter by the police.

In UP, Samajwadi Party politician Azam Khan is also facing the heat in a number of cases registered against him.