Akhilesh visits Mukhtar’s house, presses for judicial probe again

Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav met the family members of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who died following a cardiac arrest in Banda on March 28, at his ancestral house “Phatak” in Yusufpur locality of Mohammadabad town in Ghazipur on Sunday.

The SP leader reiterated his demand for a probe, under supervision of a sitting judge of the Supreme Court, into Ansari’s death.

Yadav met Mukhtar’s brothers Afzal Ansari (sitting Bahujan Samaj Party MP from Ghazipur and the Samajwadi Party candidate for the same seat), Sibgatullah Ansari (two-time former SP), his nephew Mohammadabad MLA Suhaib Ansari, and his son Omar Ansari during the visit.

“I came to share the pain of a family (of Mukhtar Ansari). I met all the members of the family,” Yadav said to the media.

Will anyone accept that Mukhtar Ansari’s death was natural, Yadav asked.

“Isn’t there a feeling among the general public that the government is hiding something? The government has no answer to the incident,” he said.

“I don’t have trust in the government. If a probe in the matter is conducted under the supervision of a sitting judge of Supreme Court, then the truth will come out,” Yadav said.

To a query as to why he visited Mukhtar’s ancestral house on Sunday though he once opposed his entry into the SP, Yadav said, “Politics is always based on current circumstances.”

Mohammadabad MLA Suhaib Ansari said, “We are deeply grateful to the honourable SP chief.”

Tight security arrangements were made for the Akhilesh Yadav’s visit. Ghazipur district magistrate Aryaka Akhauri and superintendent of police Omvir Singh were present. Paramilitary force and police personnel were deployed.

Meanwhile, asked about his party changing candidates on various seats, Akhilesh Yadav said, “Will the BJP be able to tell who will be the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha candidate?”