The dead body of former gangster turned politician Mukhtar Ansari, who passed away following a cardiac arrest, was transported to his residence in Ghazipur for final rites amidst heavy police presence by the local authorities.
Mukhtar Ansari's elder brother, Sibgatullah Ansari, stated that the last rites will be conducted on Saturday.
"We received the body after some delay, so the last rites cannot be performed tonight. It will be done tomorrow morning. I request everybody to pray for him," Sibgatullah Ansari told ANI on Friday.
Read more: Mukhtar Ansari's family alleges he was 'slow poisoned' in jail, calls for probe
Earlier today, Mukhtar Ansari's body was transferred from Banda to Ghazipur following the completion of post-mortem procedures at Banda Medical College and Hospital.
Ansari passed away in a hospital in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday. However, his family alleges that he was "slowly poisoned" while in prison, which led to his demise.
Simultaneously, a three-member team has been appointed to conduct a magisterial inquiry into Ansari's death.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Banda issued directives for the judicial investigation. Authorities stated that a panel of two doctors will perform the post-mortem, which will be recorded on video.
Umar Ansari, Mukhtar Ansari's son, informed ANI that he had submitted a letter requesting the post-mortem to be conducted by doctors from AIIMS, Delhi.
"It (post-mortem) is their procedure. I have written a letter saying that it should be done by doctors at AIIMS Delhi. We don't trust the medical system, government and administration here...You know why I am saying this...Panchnama is done. District Magistrate has to make a decision. Let's see what he decides. The postmortem has not begun...," he said.
"We hope that the court will help investigate the suspicions that we are expressing. We will consult our legal team. We are confident that this is not a natural death but an orchestrated murder," he added.
According to an official statement from the hospital, Ansari was admitted around 8:25 pm on Thursday. A team of nine doctors attended to him before his passing, as mentioned in the statement.
On Friday, Sibgatullah Ansari, Mukhtar Ansari's elder brother, stated that the administration did not inform him and only learned about his brother's demise through the media.
Earlier, Umar Ansari had alleged that his father was "poisoned through his food" and indicated they would seek legal recourse.
In April 2023, Mukhtar Ansari was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai by an MP-MLA court. He received a life sentence on March 13, 2024, for a case involving the use of forged documents to obtain an arms license in 1990.
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