Mukhtar Ansari’s death: ‘My father was given slow poison’, claims son Umar Ansari

Umar Ansari, the son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari who died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Banda in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, claimed that his father was given poison in the food and said the family would move the court.

Mukhtar Ansari was brought to the Rani Durgavati Medical College in Banda from the district jail in “an unconscious state” and, according to its principal Suneel Kaushal, he died at the hospital following cardiac arrest, news agency PTI reported.

“I was not told anything from the administration side. I came to know about it through the media… But now, the entire nation knows everything… Two days ago, I came to meet him, but I was not allowed… We said earlier also and even today, we will say the same about the allegation of giving slow poison. On March 19, he was poisoned in the dinner. We will move to the judiciary, we have full faith in it…,” news agency ANI quoted Umar Ansari as saying.

The body of Mukhtar Ansari was sent for post-mortem at Banda Medical College Hospital.

“The post-mortem will be conducted tomorrow (March 29), after that, they will give us the body. We will then follow with the further process (cremation)… My father alleged being given a slow poison… Around five doctors panel has been made (for carrying out the post-mortem),” Umar Ansari added.

Ansari’s brother and Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari had on Tuesday alleged that he was being subjected to “slow poisoning” in jail, a charge denied by the authorities.

Over 60 cases pending against Mukhtar Ansari
Mukhtar Ansari, 63, was a five-time MLA from Mau Sadar. He had been behind bars in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab since 2005. He had more than 60 criminal cases pending against him.

Mukhtar Ansari was sentenced in eight cases since September 2022 by different courts in Uttar Pradesh and was lodged in the Banda jail. His name was on the list of 66 gangsters issued by Uttar Pradesh Police last year.