Security tightened in several parts of UP after Mukhtar Ansari's death
Lucknow (PTI): Security personnel in several districts of Uttar Pradesh remained on alert on Friday, a day after jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Banda.
Prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC have been imposed across the state and teams of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) along with the local police have been deployed in Banda, Mau, Ghazipur and Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police Prashant Kumar said earlier.
People had also started gathering at Mukhtar Ansari's residence in Ghazipur and there was a large deployment of security personnel around the house.
Principal of the Banda Medical College Hospital Suneel Kaushal said the postmortem of Mukhtar Ansari is underway at the hospital and the entire process is being videographed.
A panel of doctors is performing the postmortem and the viscera will be preserved, Kaushal said, adding the Chief Medical Officer is present at the spot.
Senior officials, including District Magistrate Durga Shakti Nagpal, Superintendent of Police Ankur Agarwal and a large number of security personnel are present at the hospital.
Paramilitary forces and central forces have been deployed as a precautionary measure outside the medical college, officials said.
The 63-year-old Ansari was brought to the Rani Durgavati Medical College in Banda from the district jail in "an unconscious state" on Thursday evening and died at the hospital following a cardiac arrest, Kaushal had said.
Family members of Mukhtar Ansari, including his son Umar Ansari, and counsel Naseem Haider will take the body to his home town Ghazipur for last rites after the postmortem.
His counsel Haider said the body will be taken to Ghazipur via Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Prayagraj and Varanasi and the last rites will be performed at the Kali Bagh family burial ground there.
Speaking to reporters, Umar Ansari alleged that his father was subjected to slow poisoning in jail. However, authorities have denied the charge.
"We got the news of his demise only through the media. We will demand a high-level inquiry and do whatever we have to do through court. We have full confidence in the court," he said.
Asked whose role he sees in the incident, he said it is a matter of investigation.
"We will get justice from the court," he added.
Authorities have chalked out a route plan for the safe transit of the body via road from Banda to Ghazipur, a distance of around 380 Km.
Security has also been stepped up in parts of the state in view of Friday prayers.
Mukhtar Ansari was brought to the medical college around 8.25 pm on Thursday in an unconscious state after he had complained of vomiting. A team of nine doctors attended to him but he died of cardiac arrest, the medical bulletin stated.
Afzal Ansari, who is also the Ghazipur MP, on Tuesday alleged that his brother was given slow poison in jail.
"Mukhtar said that he was given a poisonous substance in food in jail. This happened for the second time. Around 40 days ago also he was given poison. And recently, he was again given this (poison) due to which his condition is bad," Afzal Ansari said.
Afzal Ansari said that during the virtual hearing of a case in a Barabanki court on March 21, Ansari's lawyer had filed an application in the court alleging that his client had been given "slow poison" in jail due to which his condition was deteriorating.
Earlier, Ansari was hospitalised for around 14 hours on Tuesday after he complained of abdominal pain.
While condoling the demise of Mukhtar Ansari, many parties in Uttar Pradesh demanded a probe into his death.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said it is the responsibility and duty of the government to protect someone's life in every situation and place and demanded a probe under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge into the death of the former MLA.
BSP president Mayawati also demanded a high-level inquiry into the death of the gangster-turned-politician.
In a post on X, she said, "The persistent apprehensions and serious allegations made by Mukhtar Anasari's family regarding his death in jail require a high-level investigation so that the true facts of his death can be revealed."
Bhim Army founder and Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) president Chandra Shekhar Aazad demanded a CBI investigation into the death of Ansari.
"Earlier he had expressed apprehension that he will be murdered. I demand from the High Court of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh for a CBI investigation into his death," the Dalit leader added.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former deputy Bihar chief minister Tejashwi Yadav also expressed grief at Ansari's death.
"A few days ago he had complained that he had been poisoned in jail, yet it was not taken seriously. Prima facie this does not seem justifiable and humane. Constitutional institutions should take suo motu cognizance of such strange cases and incidents," Tejashwi Yadav said in a post in Hindi on X.
Former Bihar MP Pappu Yadav, who joined the Congress recently, termed Ansari's death an "institutional murder" and demanded a court-monitored probe into it.
The Chief Justice of India should take "suo motu cognizance of this. There should be a court-monitored impartial investigation," the Congress leader said.
Ansari, a five-time MLA from Mau Sadar seat, was behind bars in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab since 2005. He had over 60 criminal cases pending against him.
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
