Samajwadi Party President, Akhilesh Yadav, visited the ancestral home of the late Mukhtar Ansari in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, and questioned the circumstances surrounding Ansari's demise inside the jail.
Expressing shock and skepticism over the events leading to Ansari's death, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister questioned the narrative of a natural death. He cited Ansari's own allegations of being poisoned, urging for an impartial investigation under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Supreme Court.
Yadav stated, "Justice will be served only through a transparent inquiry, as I do not trust the government to reveal the truth. The public opinion suggests otherwise, and we must ensure justice prevails."
Alleging negligence and malpractice within the prison system, Yadav accused the government of failing to protect inmates facing threats to their lives.
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“The general public is not accepting it to be a natural death. The government of India has been accused in similar incidents in America and Canada. Mukhtar Ansari has been a public servant and in democracy he used to share in the suffering of the people,” he claimed.
"Wasn't the Leader Of Opposition poisoned in Russia," asked Akhilesh, referring to Alexei Navalny's recent death (February 16) in Russia.
He alleged that poison was given in the jail to Mukhtar. “This is not the first such incident. The government could not provide security to those who said there was a threat to their lives in jail. The government which cannot provide security to the people is not the government of the people,” he said, adding there is pressure on media too on the matter.
BJP's Reaction
However, Yadav's visit drew sharp criticism from BJP leaders who labeled it as "vote bank politics." Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya dismissed it as a ploy for political gain, emphasizing that the public rejects such tactics.
Union Minister BL Verma joined in the condemnation, accusing Yadav and the Samajwadi Party of a history of aligning with criminals and thugs.
Mukhtar Ansari, a five-time MLA of Uttar Pradesh, passed away on March 28 due to a cardiac arrest while incarcerated in Banda jail. Since then, there has been a stream of visitors to Yusufpur to express condolences to his family, including several SP leaders and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
The controversy surrounding Ansari's death continues to fuel political tensions, with calls for transparency and accountability echoing across party lines.
