Mukhtar Ansari Death: Judicial inquiry ordered over 'Ansari was poisoned in jail' charge

Banda (Uttat Pradesh): Hours after jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari died after suffering a cardiac arrest in a prison in Uttar Pradesh, the Chief Judicial Magistrates court of Banda ordered a judicial inquiry into it. 

Banda Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Bhagwan Das Gupta appointed Garima Singh, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (MP-MLA Court Banda) as the investigating officer in the case. 

The gangster-turned-politician's family has alleged that the 63-year-old was being slow-poisoned by a substance mixed in food given to him in the Banda jail.

Bahujan Samaj Party Chief Mayawati said that the serious allegations by Mukhtar Ansari's family regarding his death in jail require a "high-level investigation" so that the facts related to his death "can be revealed."

Meanwhile, Alka Rai, wife of late BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai, who was killed by Mukhtar Ansari, said on Friday that "justice has been served" with the death of the gangster-turned politician.

Mukhtar Anasri died in a hospital in Banda, Uttar Pradesh. Speaking to news agency ANI, Ms Rai said, "What can I say? This is the blessing of the Almighty. I used to pray to him for justice and it has been served today".

Mukhtar Ansari was convicted in April 2023, and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai by an MP MLA court. He was sentenced to life in prison on March 13, 2024, in a case related to the use of forged documents for obtaining an arms licence in 1990.