BANDA/ LUCKNOW: Jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari passed away on Thursday night during treatment at Rani Durgawati Medical College where he was admitted after becoming unconscious in his barrack following 'Iftar' in the evening.
Mukhtar was currently lodged in Banda Jail.
According to the official medical bulletin issued by Rani Durgawati Medical College, Banda, Mukhtar was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state due to vomiting.
He passed away due to cardiac arrest during the treatment despite efforts by a team of nine doctors to save his life.
Sources claimed that Mukhtar, the five-time MLA from Mau assembly constituency in the past, had been fasting during the holy month of Ramzaan, and his condition deteriorated after he broke his fast in the evening in his barrack.
It may be noted that he was admitted to Banda district hospital on Tuesday following complaints of acidity and abdominal discomfort. He received treatment and was discharged after 15 hours.
Recently, the gangster, who had been in jail since 2005 in connection with around 61 cases of different criminal offenses, had allegedly expressed concerns about his life, claiming that he was being given poison in small quantities in his food.
Meanwhile, state authorities ensured massive deployment of paramilitary and state police forces in Mukhtar’s native district Ghazipur, his constituency Mau, and Banda where he was lodged in jail, to prevent any untoward incident.
However, after news of the gangster’s demise, a large number of people gathered outside his residence in Ghazipur.
Prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which bars large gatherings, were imposed across Uttar Pradesh following Ansari's death, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Prashant Kumar said.
Additional deployment of police personnel has also been made in Banda, Mau, Ghazipur and Varanasi districts, he added.
"Teams of Central Reserve Police Force have been deployed along with local police in these districts," the DGP said.
Ansari, who hailed from Mau, was believed to have strong influence in adjoining Ghazipur and Varanasi districts as well.
Mukhtar had been convicted in eight cases during the past two years and was serving a life sentence in Banda jail while facing trial in many other cases.
On March 13, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in a case of arms procurement through fake documents in 1990.
In December last year, the MP/MLA court of Varanasi had convicted Ansari for abducting and intimidating Mahavir Prasad Rungta, a key witness in the murder case of 26-year-old coal merchant Nand Kishore Rungta.
In June 2023, Mukhtar was convicted and given a life sentence for the murder of Awdhesh Rai, brother of the present UPCC chief Ajai Rai.
According to police records, Ansari had been heading gang number 191 with around 61 cases of criminal offenses lodged against him.
Despite his notorious reputation, Mukhtar had carved a noteworthy niche for himself in the political landscape of Uttar Pradesh. Of his five electoral victories, two were driven by the BSP. However, during his heyday, his reign of terror was felt across a number of eastern and central UP districts in the 1990s.
He began his political career in the mid-90s by joining the student politics of BHU and was elected MLA for the first time in 1996.
Now his son Abbas is an MLA from his constituency Mau Sadar.
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.