Mukhtar Ansari denied food, water during Punjab-UP transfer, alleges brother
Ballia (UP), Apr 7: Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari's brother alleged on Wednesday that inhuman treatment was given to him while being transferred to Banda jail from Punjab, saying it could have been better had he been shot dead at a road crossing.
The Uttar Pradesh government, however, said a team of doctors of the Banda Medical College examined Mukhtar Ansari at the jail and no "immediate" health issues were found by it.
"Inhuman treatment was meted to Mukhtar while being shifted from Punjab to Banda jail. In over 15 hours journey, he was not given water and food on the way and was also denied medical aid. Due to this, he became unwell and reached Banda jail in a semi-unconscious state," Afzal Ansari, the BSP MP from Ghazipur, told PTI.
Afzal Ansari, however, did not elaborate on how did he get to know about the treatment meted out to his brother during his transfer to the Banda jail.
"The Yogi Adityanath government has left behind Britishers by such acts. Contrary to the jail manual, Mukhtar has been kept in isolation barrack. Those who have to protect laws are creating terror. It would have be better that he (Mukhtar) was made to stand at some road crossing and shot dead," he said.
The Uttar Pradesh government in an statement issued here said, "Undertrial Ansari was brought from Punjab's Ropar jail at about 4.50 am to Banda prison gate by a special team and he finally got entry at 5 am. All his belongings were checked and no objectionable items were found. A team of Banda Medical college doctors did his check-up and found no immediate health issues."
"Mukhtar Ansari would be tested for COVID-19 later in the day inside the jail. According to the Supreme Court orders, with the help of district administration and Chief Medical officer, Banda, his health arrangements are being ensured," the statement said.
ADG, Prison Anand Kumar has given strict instructions for round-the-clock security of Mukhtar Ansari, who is also Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA from Mau.
Elaborate arrangements have been made inside the prison, where he will be kept in barrack number 16, which will be under 24-hour camera surveillance, the statement said, adding the entire Banda jail is covered with CCTV cameras and is being monitored by senior officers from jail headquarter command centre in Lucknow.
For outer security of the jail, additional force of PAC has been deployed and Banda city magistrate has been made incharge jail superintendent for administrative and security arrangements, it said.
Two new deputy jailors have been deputed and additional head jail warder and jail warder have been made available to the prison, the government statement said.
Afzal Ansari also claimed that the blood-sugar level and blood pressure of Mukhtar Ansari, who has diabetes, have increased and alleged that the jail administration is not accepting the request to provide him a doctor.
"Instead of treating him, he was being administered injection to put him to sleep," Afzal Ansari alleged. He further claimed that his brother was kept in the ambulance for over one-and-half-hours even after reaching the Banda jail.
"At around 9 am, some persons known to Mukhtar reached the jail to meet him but were returned from the prison premises. Mukhtar is an undertrial and despite this he is getting treatment like a convict," he said, adding "such a treatment was never given to any undertrial in the history of the country".
After spending over two years in a Punjab prison, Mukhtar Ansari was brought back to Banda jail in the early hours of Wednesday.
He was ferried in an ambulance guarded by a strong posse of gun-toting security personnel throughout his 900-km journey from Rupnagar to the Uttar Pradesh town in the Bundelkhand region.
Mukhtar Ansari was lodged in Rupnagar jail in January 2019 in connection with an extortion case. He is facing 52 cases in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere, and 15 of them are in the trial stage.
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Punjab: Blast near army cantt area in Amritsar, hours after explosion in Jalandhar
Chandigarh (PTI): An explosion occurred near the army cantonment area in Khasa late Tuesday night in Punjab's Amritsar, the second such incident which took place around three hours after a blast outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar.
According to the police, an investigation into both blast incidents is currently underway, and no injuries have been reported.
The first explosion happened around 8 pm in Jalandhar, while the second blast occurred at approximately 11 pm in Amritsar.
Amritsar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police Suhail Mir Qasim stated that police received reports of a loud sound at around 11 pm on a road in Khasa. "Our teams arrived on the scene immediately," he said.
Preliminary inspections indicated that someone had thrown an explosive device towards the boundary wall, leading to the explosion, according to the SSP.
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Police mentioned that a piece of a tin sheet covering the boundary wall had fallen as a result of the blast.
Following the explosion, a team of forensic and bomb disposal squad visited the site to collect samples.
Amritsar Rural Superintendent of Police Aditya S. Warrier, who also visited the scene, confirmed that further investigations are ongoing. Police added that a team of army officials also assessed the situation, after which the area was cordoned off.
CCTV footage from the vicinity shows the explosion occurring at night. A local villager reported that his family was awakened by the loud sound and came outside their home to see what had happened.
Before the Amritsar explosion, a blast took place outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar district around 8 pm on Tuesday, causing panic in the area.
CCTV footage captured the explosion, which resulted in a cloud of smoke. An unidentified man was seen running for cover following the blast.
The blast ripped apart a scooter, damaged a traffic signal pole and windowpanes of a nearby shop. Locals recounted that the scooter, which was parked outside the BSF headquarters, Punjab Frontier, caught fire shortly after a loud sound. It belonged to Gurpreet Singh, who regularly delivers parcels in the area.
Talking to reporters on Tuesday night, one of Gurpreet's relatives said that the scooter caught fire as he was approaching it. He immediately called his father and informed him about the incident.
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur confirmed to reporters late Tuesday that an Activa scooter parked near the gate caught fire suddenly. She stated that Gurpreet is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Witnesses nearby reported hearing a loud sound following the explosion.
On April 27, an explosion occurred at a freight corridor rail track in Shambhu in Patiala. Police had arrested four members of a pro-Khalistan terror module, backed by Pakistan's ISI, for the blast.
In light of these incidents, opposition parties have condemned the AAP government for its handling of the situation.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the home portfolio, over the recent blasts.
"Three blasts in 10 days, two in a single day, May 5: Jalandhar outside BSF headquarters and Sri Amritsar Sahib Army area, April 27: Rajpura rail track. Continued intelligence failures and the collapse of law and order are a matter of grave concern. Chief Minister @BhagwantMann, who is also the state Home Minister, is busy with mimicry and cheap politics. He has forfeited the right to remain in office," Badal said in a post on X.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also slammed the Mann government over the two blasts.
"Back-to-back blasts have shaken Punjab. Yesterday in Jalandhar, and now near Khasa Camp in Amritsar, this is deeply alarming. Who is trying to destabilise our state? Why has the Punjab Government failed to prevent such incidents? What is the Government of India doing? Repeated lapses point to a serious breakdown of intelligence and security. Punjab's peace cannot be compromised. We demand accountability and immediate action," Warring said in a post on X.
