The Indian authorities announced the death of the Indian Muslim politician Mukhtar Ansari of a cardiac arrest at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh state in the late hours of Thursday, March 28, 2024, while his family says he was poisoned inside the prison!
Ansari was transferred to the hospital in Banda after losing consciousness in the local prison last Thursday evening and died at the Rani Durgavati Medical College while undergoing treatment.
Ansari had been a former deputy more than five times in the legislative council of the state of Uttar Pradesh from the Mau region near Azamgarh.
Ansari was transferred to the hospital last Tuesday morning and was discharged hours later, until he lost consciousness and his health deteriorated again on Thursday. The prison administration announced that this deterioration was because he was fasting during the month of Ramadan and that he had fainted.
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After conducting an autopsy on Friday and handing over the body to his family, they demanded another autopsy at the Aiims hospital in Delhi. Ansari's son said, “We don't trust the local authorities here in the state,” and announced their resort to the judiciary. Ansari's lawyer filed a complaint in court against the prison administration, demanding an investigation into Ansari's death.
On the other hand, his brother Afzal Ansari said that Mukhtar had informed him that he was given a poisonous substance in his food in prison, and it is the second time he has been subjected to this. He had previously been poisoned over a month ago and again recently. Specifically, on March 19, he was given a dose of poison, which deteriorated his health, as reported by the “Press Trust of India” agency.
Earlier, Mukhtar Ansari wrote to the Chief Justice of the Mau Court on March 21, 2024, stating that he was being poisoned by prison authorities, and a week later, he passed away.
Journalist Sameeullah Khan says that the judiciary did not provide protection to Muslim political prisoners when they sought help to protect their lives.
Previously, Muslim political prisoner Atiq Ahmed had appealed to the Supreme Court for protection as his life was in danger. However, the Supreme Court refused to help, stating that the Uttar Pradesh police would take care of him. Subsequently, he and his brother were killed in a shooting attack.
From Atiq to Mukhtar, we see that the judiciary is also responsible and has tragically failed to protect Muslim prisoners, and this will remain a dark stain in the history of justice and the judiciary.
Ironically, after Mukhtar Ansari's death, gunfire was heard in celebration at the home of former deputy Krishnanand Rai in the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh.
Furthermore, the court did not allow the deceased's son, young MP Abbas Ansari, to attend his father's funeral. The judge, Samit Gopal, refused his request to attend the funeral in a country that releases convicted rapists and grants monthly leave to the convicted rapist, Ram Rahim.
Several politicians, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, renowned Muslim parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi, and Bahujan Samaj Party chief, have called for an investigation into the Ansari family's allegations.
Political analysts say that the Uttar Pradesh government is taking measures against political prisoners, especially with the general elections scheduled to take place less than a month from now. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is trying to appease Hindus for their support.
Currently, not only in Uttar Pradesh but across the country, there is a policy of appeasing Hindus. According to Ansari's family, his killing in prison was not the last significant mission, but it received extensive media coverage.
Commentaries and analyses are being broadcast around the clock on nearly all news channels, aiming to show that if Narendra Modi is a strongman in Delhi, then Yogi is the strongman in Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh was considered a strong station for Muslim politics in India, but currently, Muslims in the state are going through some of the toughest times. As soon as Yogi's government took power in Uttar Pradesh, conditions began to worsen for Muslim politicians who were active at the local level.
These prominent Muslim politicians are targeted politically, facing fabricated charges for decades while representing the Muslim community in legislative assemblies and parliament. Their political careers are destroyed through convictions in various fabricated cases.
In recent years, political tyranny has been at its worst in Uttar Pradesh. This is the third incident of Muslim leaders dying in prison. In May 2021, Dr. Shababuddin from Siwan died in a Delhi hospital while in custody. And in April 2023, Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were killed outside the hospital by the police in front of journalists. Lastly, Mukhtar Ansari's death was claimed to be due to illness.
Special forces have been deployed in the districts of Banda, Maun, Ghazipur, and Varanasi in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Ansari has significant influence among the public due to his services and popularity among both Muslims and Hindus for his assistance to the poor and oppressed.
According to many testimonies, Ansari and his family were known for their respect for scholars and their support for the poor and oppressed. Despite his long incarceration, their charitable work never ceased, especially during the blessed month of Ramadan, when their charitable work multiplied.
The suspicions raised by analysts, politicians, and Ansari's family obligate the government to form a special committee to investigate and uncover the truth, reassuring the people.
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