Why Is Opposition Sympathising With Convicted Gangster Mukhtar Ansari?

New Delhi: A day after convicted gangster Mukhtar Ansari died of a heart attack, Opposition leaders including Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati cried foul, calling it a 'doubtful case'. For politics and polarisation of votes, the Opposition leaders failed to address or acknowledge the severity of the criminal allegations against Ansari and his family, even though the autopsy revealed that the convicted gangster died of a heart attack.  For the unversed, Mukhtar Ansari had 61 serious criminal cases against him; his elder brother and MLA Sibgatulah Ansari 3; his younger brother and MP Afzal Ansari 7; his wife and Corporator Afsha Ansari 11; his son and MLA Abbas Ansari 8.  

Autopsy Reveals Heart Attack as Cause of Mukhtar's Death

The autopsy report released on Friday evening revealed that the convicted gangster died of a heart attack on Thursday evening. The autopsy findings put to rest all previous speculations of poisoning, claimed by both his (Mukhtar Ansari) family members and opposition leaders. The autopsy was conducted by a team of doctors at Rani Durgawati Medical College, where Mukhtar Ansari breathed his last. His family members were present in the autopsy room during the examination, which was also recorded on video for transparency.  

Why Is Opposition Sympathising With a Convicted Gangster? 

"It is the foremost responsibility and duty of the government to protect someone's life in every situation and at every place," Akhilesh Yadav said. He added, "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.

Shivpal Singh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party's (SP) nominee from the Badaun seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, said the court should take cognisance of Ansari's death in "suspicious" circumstances. Yadav said he has good relations with Ansari's family.

BSP supremo Mayawati also demanded a high-level probe into Ansari's death. "The persistent apprehensions and serious allegations made by Mukhtar Ansari's family regarding his death in jail require a high-level investigation so that the true facts of his death can be revealed," she said.

Ex-DSP, Who Invoked POTA on Mukhtat Ansari, Was Made to Resign by Mulayam Govt

Shailendra Singh, a former deputy superintendent of police who slapped the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) against gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari in January 2004, recalled the decade-old era when he underwent political pressure and made to resign within 15 days allegedly by the then UP government-led by Mulayam Singh Yadav.  

20 years ago, in 2004, Mukhtar Ansari's empire was at its peak. He (Mukhtar Ansari) would move around in open jeeps in areas where curfew was imposed. That time, I recovered an LMG. No recovery was made before or after that. I even imposed the POTA on him... But the Mulayam government wanted to save him at any cost," Singh claimed.

“He (Mulayam Singh Yadav) pressured officials, IG-range, DIG, and SP-STF were transferred. Even I was made to resign within 15 days. But in my resignation, I wrote my reasons and put it before the people that this is the government you chose, which is protecting and working on the orders of mafias... I wasn't doing a favour to anyone. It was my duty,” he added.

BJP Hits Back At Opposition For Backing Convicted Gangster

Reacting strongly to the Opposition's accusations, BJP leader Sidharth Nath Singh said, "Mukhtar Ansari is a criminal...leaders of SP, Congress and BSP are jumping now, showing 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',” he said.

"Ghazipur, Mau, Jaunpur, Azamgarh, and Balia were known as the epicentre of the comrades. How did these regions become the hotspot of criminals?... We all need to beware. Their tactics of communal polarisation have been nullified by PM Narendra Modi's efforts of inclusive empowerment," said BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.  

'God's Justice'

On the other hand, Anand Rai, the nephew of Mohammadabad's former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Krishnanand Rai, who was killed in 2005, told reporters that "der hai andher nahin (this is god's justice)". 

 In 2005, Ansari and his family members were named as accused in the killing of Krishnanand Rai.

The councillor of ward number 25, Lohatia Sanjeev Kumar Gihar, told reporters that "no call was given by anyone for the closure of shops. People have kept the shutters down out of sympathy. I was myself a victim of Mukhtar Ansari. It is jaisi karni waisi bharni". Notably, shops remained closed on Friday in Mohammadabad Yusufpur township in Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh, the native place of Ansari.     

Mukhtar Ansari Death

Ansari died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Banda in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday.  Following his demise, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which bars large gatherings, were imposed across the state and additional security personnel deployed in the Banda, Mau, Ghazipur and Varanasi districts.

Ansari was brought to the Rani Durgavati Medical College in Banda from the district jail in "an unconscious state" and, according to its principal Suneel Kaushal, he died at the hospital following cardiac arrest.