Imprisoned Uttar Pradesh politician Mukhtar dies, family claims murder

Imprisoned politician Mukhtar Ansari of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has died. He died while undergoing treatment at a Banda city hospital on Thursday.

Doctors say that Mukhtar died of heart disease. However, the family claims that he was slowly poisoned in prison. Security has already been beefed up in various cities of Uttar Pradesh following the death of Mukhtar Ansari.

The 63-year-old Mukhtar was elected as a five-time MLA from Uttar Pradesh’s Mau Sadar assembly seat. More than 60 criminal cases including murder cases were pending against him. Since September 2022, he has been sentenced to various terms in eight cases in different courts of Uttar Pradesh.

Mukhtar Ansari was imprisoned since 2005. He passed out in jail last night. He was then admitted to Rani Durgavarti Medical College Hospital in Banda city. Doctors declared him dead after a few hours.

Former Member of Parliament Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead by miscreants in April 2023 in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh of hardline BJP leader Yogi Adityanath, under police guard. The two brothers were shot in front of the camera while talking to reporters in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. Now questions are being raised about Mukhtar’s death in prison.

While the hospital authorities stated the cause of Mukhtar’s death as heart disease, Mukhtar Ansari’s son and brother demanded an investigation. They claim that Mukhtar was slowly poisoned to death.

Mukhtar’s son Umar Ansari told the media, “I came to meet him two days ago. But I was not allowed to meet. Despite his illness, he was sent to prison. How flatulence can lead to heart disease. In the video that has gone viral, you can see that his stomach is swollen. His condition is critical. He was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital. But after 12-14 hours he was again sent to jail.

A five-member medical team will conduct an autopsy on Mukhtar on Friday. A heavy police presence has been deployed outside the hospital where Mukhtar died in Banda city.

Although Mukhtar Ansari was a resident of Maui, he is believed to have considerable influence in neighboring Gazipur and Varanasi. Many people have already gathered in front of the former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA’s house in Gazipur.