Gangstar-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari laid to rest in family graveyard in Ghazipur amid tight security, huge crowd participates in funeral procession 

While Mukhtar Ansari was in jail from 2005 in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab states for different crimes, in April 2023, he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for killing BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai by an MP MLA court. 

A large number of people participated in the funeral procession of the former five-time MLA.

Some of his supporters broke the barricades to enter the burial ground, leading to a brief confrontation with the police, reported India Today.

The politician's body was taken to his hometown after, covering an approximate 400-kilometre route, after his post-mortem was completed at Rani Durgavati Medical College in Banda district.

 Mukhtar Ansari died of cardiac arrest in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. He was 63.

According to the medical bulletin issued by Durgawati Medical College, Mukhtar was brought in following a complaint of vomiting in an unconscious state.

The bulletin said that despite all efforts, the patient died due to cardiac arrest.

Mukhtar was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court in Varanasi with a penalty of Rs 2.02 lakh in a more than 33-year-old fake arms licence case.

In June 1987, Mukhtar had applied for the licence of a double-barrel gun in the office of the then District Magistrate, Ghazipur. It was alleged that, in connivance with the staff, Mukhtar obtained the licence through the forged signatures of the DM and the then Superintendent of Police (SP).

After forgery came to fore a case was lodged against five named persons, including Mukhtar, in December 1990. After an investigation, a charge sheet was filed against Mukhtar and an ordinance clerk, Gauri Shankar Srivastava, in court in 1997. Gauri Shankar died during the trial.

The family members alleged that he was being slow poisoned.