As thousands of Muslims flocked to the streets in the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh, broke barricades and created a ruckus to give a grand farewell to the dreaded gangster Mukhtar Ansari, recalling how cruel and brutal their ‘hero’ was, has become crucial.
Mukhtar Ansari, a convicted criminal in a murder and extortion case, and an under trial accused in several other criminal matters, died after a heart attack in the Banda jail on Thursday, 28 March. On 29th April 2023, the MP-MLA court of Ghazipur sentenced mafia Mukhtar Ansari to 10 years in prison in connection with the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai. Ansari was already lodged in Banda jail when he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the brutal murder of the BJP MLA.
BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai was murdered in cold blood on the instructions of none other than Mukhtar Ansari on the fateful day of 29 November 2005. Owing to the sheer brutality of the murder, this day is still referred to as the ‘Black Day’ by Ghazipur residents. The spine-chilling murder of the BJP MLA was one of the most sensational murders in the history of Uttar Pradesh.
A volley of gunfire from AK-47 assault rifles killed Rai and six other individuals in Ghazipur. Reports suggest that as many as 500 bullets were fired from six AK-47s. This was the first time that AK 47 rifles had been used for murder in India, which until now had only been the weapon of choice for terrorists and the military around the world.
The police had recovered more than 400 bullet shells from the spot while 21 bullets were recovered from Rai’s body alone.
Ansari plotted and executed Krishnanand Rai’s murder from jail, asked aides to chop off BJP MLA’s braid as ‘trophy’ and evidence of murder
It is said that Mukhtar Ansari not only got Rai killed, but also had his braid chopped off as a ‘trophy’ and evidence of the crime.
The task of chopping off the braid was given to criminal Rakesh Pandey. That was revealed after a voice call between Mukhtar and Don Abhay Singh emerged in 2020.
Importantly, Ansari was behind bars when BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai was murdered, which means that he planned and executed the murder from within the confines of jail. This itself speaks volumes about Ansari’s political connections and clout even when he was in jail.
Mukhtar Ansari and his brother Afzal Ansari were named as the primary conspirators in the FIR filed in the case. The police investigation also revealed the involvement of gangster Prem Prakash Singh alias Munna Bajrangi, a close associate of the Ansari brothers. It is said that Prem Prakash Singh alias Munna Bajrangi had led the attack on the BJP MLA.
Mukhtar and Afzal Ansari were found guilty of the murder by the trial court. The duo, however, approached the Allahabad High Court, which, in turn, ordered a CBI investigation into the case on May 23, 2006.
Later, the court trial was shifted outside Uttar Pradesh on Alka Rai’s plea on April 25, 2013.
One after another, every witness either turned hostile or turned up dead.
Due to a lack of evidence, the CBI court in 2019 released both Mukhtar and Afzal Ansari in the Krishnanand Rai murder case. Rai’s son took up the legal battle and approached the high court.
After years of legal battle, finally, on 29th April 2023, the MP-MLA court of Ghazipur sentenced mafia Mukhtar Ansari to 10 years in prison in connection with the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai.
A detailed history of the mafia, his rise in crime and politics, and the eventual downfall under the Yogi Adityanath government can be read here.
Former DSP Shailendra Singh persecuted by Mulayam Singh Govt for recommending the arrest of mafia don turned politician Mukhtar Ansari under POTA
It is reported that Mukhtar attempted to obtain weapons capable of penetrating Rai’s bulletproof vehicle. It was a small machine gun he sought.
A phone conversation about a light machine gun (LMG) purchase from an Army deserter for Rs 1 crore was intercepted in January 2004.
Next, on January 25, 2004, the banned LMG (light machine gun) and 200 live cartridges were seized during a raid by DSP Shailendra Singh in Chaubepur, Varanasi. He charged Ansari under POTA with severe anti-terror offences.
DSP Singh ended up paying a high price for carrying out his duties, facing political persecution by the then Mulayam Singh-led Samajwadi Party regime.
Interestingly, a day after Mukhtar Ansari’s death, ex-DSP Shailendra Singh released a statement slamming the then Samajwadi Party government for shielding Ansari. Singh was threatened and implicated in a false case by the Mulayam Singh government for recommending the arrest of mafia don turned politician Mukhtar Ansari under POTA.
It was earlier reported that Singh had been slapped with dozens of fake charges by the then Samajwadi Party government for acting against the now-deceased mafia don Mukhtar Ansari. Singh recollected how his career was ruined and the trauma his family had to face after the then-ruling Samajwadi Party government implicated him in false cases.
Sailendra Singh kept fighting against the establishment to prove his innocence until the BJP government led by Yogi Adityanath came to power in the state and filed an application in the court to withdraw cases against Shailendra Singh.
Soon after Yogi Adityanath came to power, the UP government filed a petition in the court to withdraw cases against Singh in December 2017.
On March 6, 2021, the court finally approved the state government’s plea to withdraw cases against the former DSP.
Celebrations at BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai’s house after Mukhtar Ansari’s death
Reacting to Ansari’s death, deceased BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai’s son Piyush Rai said that Mukhtar Ansari’s death is truly Baba Gorakhnath’s blessing for his family, maybe even some kind of Allah’s justice in the month of Ramzan.
There were celebratory fireworks at Rai’s house as the news of Ansari’s death came out.
“I have come to know that he has died in Banda jail. As the media is saying he [Ansari] has died due to a heart attack. I believe this is the blessing of Baba Gorakhnath. Justice has been served. Somewhere I think it is Allah’s justice in the holy month of Ramzan that a dreaded criminal like Mukhtar Ansari has died…” Piyush Rai said.
Meanwhile, Krishnanand Rai’s nephew Anand Rai has said that “the family of Mukhtar Ansari will now feel the pain that his family went through at the time of his uncle’s murder.”
