Akali Dal accuses Punjab CM of protecting Mukhtar Ansari as court junks medical exam plea

Slamming the Congress-ruled Punjab government, Akali Dal on Friday, said that it was unfortunate that the Amarinder Singh govt was 'protecting a gangster like Mukhtar Ansari'. Stating that 'Captain has ruined Punjab', Badal also took a jibe at Centre saying 'Union govt is harboring hatred towards farmers due to protests'. The Supreme Court has ordered Punjab govt to hand over gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari to UP government.  

Badal: 'Congress protecting gangster Ansari'

SC: Transfer Ansari to UP govt

On March 26, the Supreme Court directed the Punjab government to hand over the custody of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari to the Uttar Pradesh Police. He will be transferred from Punjab's Ropar Jail to the Banda Jail in UP where he will be extended the requisite medical facilities. The BSP MLA was lodged in a UP jail as an undertrial when the Punjab Police obtained a production warrant against him on a complaint of extortion and criminal intimidation and brought him to Punjab. The court also dismissed Ansari's plea to transfer the criminal cases out of UP. After merging his party Quami Ekta Dal with BSP, Ansari won in the 2017 UP Assembly election on a ticket of the Mayawati-led party.

Earlier in the day, a Mohali court rejected Ansari's plea seeking directions to jail authorities to constitute a medical board for examining him. "There is nothing on record which can suggest that after the apex court order on March 26 there have been any fresh medical issues with the accused," the Mohali court judge said. Ansari, wanted in Uttar Pradesh for several cases, was on Wednesday produced before the Mohali court in connection with an alleged 2019 extortion matter.

Who is Mukhtar Ansari?

Ansari is a history-sheeter in Mohammadabad police station of Ghazipur district with 38 cases of heinous crime lodged against him - including the murder case of BJP MLA Krishna Nand Rai in 2005. As per reports, before being shifted to Punjab, he has stayed at various jails such as Ghazipur, Mau, Agra, Lucknow, and Banda jail. He was shifted to Punjab's Ropar jail after Homeland Group CEO accused him of extortion in 2019, on a govt warrant. Since then Punjab prisons dept has refused to send Ansari back for court appearances claiming that a panel of doctors has “advised Ansari against long travel”, as per reports. BJP MLA Alka Rai - slain MLA Krishna Nand Rai's wife has written to Priyanka Gandhi, accusing Congress of shielding Ansari, while the gangster's wife has written to President Kovind seeking security while Ansari is shifted. Recently, UP police shot down Ansari's close aide Hanuman Pandey.