UP: ‘Slow Poison’ Allegations by Mukhtar Ansari’s Family, Political Leaders Demand Probe

New Delhi: As crowds continued to gather at gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s home and a controversy over the cause of his death by cardiac arrest in custody started gathering traction, the Uttar Pradesh Police has issued prohibitory orders across the state on Friday.

Meanwhile, news agency ANI reported that a magisterial probe by a three-member team had been ordered. Ansari’s autopsy will be done today.

Ansari, a five-time MLA from Mau, had some 60 criminal cases pending against him. He had taken ill twice last week in Banda jail. His family has alleged that he was ‘slow-poisoned’, a fear that the 63-year-old deceased strongman had himself expressed this month. His lawyer had also flagged a “threat to his life” in jail.

On Thursday night, Ansari was rushed to the hospital in Banda after he fell unconscious in the district jail at around 8.45 p.m. He was “brought unconscious” to the Rani Durgavati Medical College and during treatment died of cardiac arrest, hospital officials said.

"मुख़्तार अंसारी की जेल में हुई मौत को लेकर उनके परिवार द्वारा जो लगातार आशंकायें व गंभीर आरोप लगाए गए हैं उनकी उच्च-स्तरीय जाँच जरूरी..."

- मायावती, पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री, यूपी | @Mayawati pic.twitter.com/HN6zZr3jHQ

— The Mooknayak (@The_Mooknayak) March 29, 2024

However, his brother Afzal Ansari told PTI that "Mukhtar said that he was given a poisonous substance in his food in jail. This happened for the second time. He was given poison around 40 days ago as well. And, recently, on March 19, he was again given this (poison) due to which his condition was bad."

Ansari's son Umar has also alleged that his father was given poison in the food and said they would approach the court.

"We said this before also and even today we will say the same thing. On March 19, he was poisoned in the dinner. We will move to the judiciary, we have full faith in it...," he told PTI.

As per reports, last week Ansari had submitted an application in Barabanki court, alleging that he had been fed some poisonous substance with his food after consuming which, on March 19, “his nerves and limbs started paining.”

Several political leaders, such as Bahujan Samaj party supremo Mayawati, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav and AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi have called for a probe into Ansari’s family's allegations.