District Magistrate Gazipur, Aryaka Akhoury, confirmed on Saturday that police have been deployed along the route from Mukhtar Ansari’s residence to the graveyard as his last rites are scheduled for today. Ansari, the gangster-turned-politician, will be laid to rest in Mohammadabad, located in the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh.
Police presence outside the burial ground has been increased to maintain law and order as a large number of people have gathered to pay their respects to Ansari.
DM Akhoury stated, “Preparations are complete. Police have been deployed on a 600-meter route from his home to the graveyard. The movement of people is being monitored. The last rites will be conducted peacefully.” The last rites are scheduled to begin at 10 am.
Responding to queries, she mentioned, “Family, close relatives, and individuals on the guest list will participate in the last rites. Those who will participate in the ritual of throwing soil on the funeral will also attend to pay their respects and bid farewell.”
Mukhtar Ansari passed away in a hospital in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday. His family alleges foul play, claiming he was poisoned.
According to the hospital’s official statement, Ansari was admitted around 8:25 pm on Thursday and was attended to by a team of nine doctors before his demise.
Sibgatullah Ansari, Mukhtar Ansari’s elder brother, stated on Friday that he was not directly informed by the administration about his brother’s death and learned about it through the media.
Meanwhile, a three-member team will conduct a magisterial investigation into Ansari’s death, as ordered by the Chief Judicial Magistrate Banda. The post-mortem will be conducted by a panel of two doctors, and the procedure will be recorded on video.
In legal proceedings, Mukhtar Ansari was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison in April 2023 for the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai by an MP-MLA court. He was further sentenced to life imprisonment on March 13, 2024, in a case related to the use of forged documents to obtain an arms license in 1990.