Mukhtar Ansari Dies: Know All About The Don Who Once Ruled Purvanchal And His Downfall Under Yogi Regime

New Delhi: Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari succumbed to a heart attack on Thursday evening. He had been admitted to Banda Medical College after his health took a turn for the worse.

Earlier, Ansari had been hospitalised due to abdominal pain while in jail. However, he was discharged the same day after his condition stabilised. His brother, Afzal Ansari, alleged that Mukhtar had been poisoned while in jail.

Who Was Mukhtar Ansari?

60-year-old Ansari served as a five-time MLA from the Mau Sadar constituency and remaining behind bars in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab since 2005. He faced over 60 criminal cases and had been convicted in eight cases since September 2022 by various Uttar Pradesh courts, and was lodged in Banda jail.

Cases Against Ansari

Ansari’s name featured on the list of 66 notorious gangsters issued by Uttar Pradesh Police last year. Throughout his life, he had become synonymous with terror not just in Purvanchal but across the entire state of Uttar Pradesh.

With a litany of charges against him, including murder, attempted murder, armed riots, criminal conspiracy, intimidation, property fraud, interference with public affairs, and deliberate acts causing harm, Ansari’s criminal legacy was extensive. His name first appeared in connection with the Sachchidanand Rai murder case of 1988, stemming from a land dispute in Ghazipur district.

Foray Into Politics

Ansari ventured into student politics at Kashi Hindu University and later contested the Mau seat in 1996 on a BSP ticket, securing his first term as an MLA. Subsequently, he retained the seat five times, through various political affiliations, in 1996 under the Bahujan Samaj Party, as an independent candidate in 2002 and 2007, under his own party, Qaumi Ekta Dal, in 2012, and following a merger with the BSP in 2017.

Mukhtar Ansari Assets

Police have seized Mukhtar Ansari’s assets valued at Rs 586 crores and shut down illegal businesses amounting to over Rs 2100 crores. Under the administration of Yogi Adityanath, efforts have been made to combat the influence of Mukhtar Ansari. Over the last few years, assets worth approximately Rs 605 crores have been confiscated as part of the crackdown.