Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari was laid to rest at the Kali Bagh burial ground in Ghazipur on Saturday amid heavy security arrangements with sea of supporters in a procession accompanying the body till outside the burial ground.
The deceased’s body was brought to the family’s ancestral burial ground, Kali Bagh graveyard in Yusufpur, Mohammadabad area roughly a kilometer away from their residence on Saturday morning, where a grave was dug on Friday.
The district police faced difficulty in managing the crowd who tried to force their way inside the burial ground where entry was restricted. Security personnel, including that of the paramilitary, were deployed in thousands around the Ansaris residence and the burial ground. Earlier, the family requested supporters to pray for the deceased.
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A large crowd accompanied the procession and some also raised slogans. On reaching the cemetery, Afzal Ansari appealed to the crowd to maintain peace. His elder brother, former MLA Sibgatullah Ansari, also attended the funeral.
However, Mukhtar Ansari’s elder son and MLA Abbas Ansari could not attend the funeral. He is lodged in Kasganj jail in connection with criminal cases.
The funeral procession took longer than expected to reach the burial ground in Mohammadabad because of the large crowd that accompanied the body, said Ravindra Singh, a local.
Police faced a tough time managing the crowd who tried to force their way into the burial ground where entry was restricted. Varanasi Zone Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Piyush Mordia was present in Mohammadabad to supervise the arrangements.
According to the DIG of Varanasi Range, O.P. Singh, adequate police force was deployed everywhere. The Ansari family has been cooperating with the police. People started gathering in the area from Friday night and announcements were made to ensure that there was no overcrowding, he said.
“Before Mukhtar Ansari was laid to rest, Namaz-e-Janaza was offered near the house and later at the nearby Prince Maidan,” Singh said.
Asked about some people in the crowd raising slogans, he said Mukhtar Ansari’s family members had given a list of 40 to 50 people who were allowed to stay at the Kali Bagh cemetery at the time of burial.
The rest were stopped after the prayers. There is complete peace, Singh added.
Personnel of the police, Provincial Armed Constabulary and paramilitary forces were deployed at all important places. As the crowd swelled, more security personnel were deployed in the area later.
An official at the police headquarters said tight security arrangements have been made to maintain peace during the funeral.
“My younger uncle Mr. Mukhtar Ansari Sahib passed away last night. Tomorrow at 10 a.m. he will be buried in the Kalibagh graveyard of our Yusufpur Mohammadabad (Ghazipur). You all are requested to pray for the forgiveness of the deceased,” said Suhaib Ansari, nephew of the deceased and Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) on March 29.
Mukhtar Ansari, a five-time former jailed MLA died of cardiac arrest on March 28 night within hours after he was rushed to the Rani Durgawati Medical College in Banda district. “Around 8:25 p.m. convicted/undertail prisoner Mukhtar Ansari, son of Subhanullah, aged 63, was brought by jail staff to the Emergency department at the Rani Durgawati Medical College in an unconscious state.
The patient was treated by a team of nine doctors and given all possible medical facilities, but despite all the attempts for recovery, the patient died due to cardiac arrest,” reads the medical bulletin from the hospital. Earlier also on March 26, the late Ansari was admitted to the hospital after he complained of abdominal pain and later discharged with his family alleging of him being ‘poisoned’.
Mr. Ansari, the five-time former MLA, faced more than five dozen cases and has been languishing in jail since 2005. Uttar Pradesh opposition leaders demanded high-level investigation into the death, with the Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav calling for an investigated under the supervision of a Supreme Court Judge and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati pushed for high-level probe.
(with inputs from PTI)
