'Still Get Shivers When I Remember That Time': Son of BJP MLA Killed by Mukhtar Ansari Recounts Horror

It was November 2005 when BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai was returning home after inaugurating a cricket tournament. As he reached a narrow bridge in Ghazipur’s Bhawarkol, the BJP leader’s cavalcade was ambushed and assailants armed with AK-47 assault rifles opened fire on them, killing Rai. According to the FIR, gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari and his brother Afzal Ansari, who had lost assembly election to Rai in Mohammadabad seat, were named main conspirators.

Nineteen years later, Rai’s son Piyush says Ansari’s death is the Almighty’s verdict. Speaking to CNN-News18, Piyush said the state government would look into allegations that Ansari was poisoned in prison but “we are happy that the almighty has finally given His verdict”.

“We should accept whatever comes from His court. Today, I visited Kashi Vishwanath temple with my mother. We thanked God for giving us strength to deal with the difficult period we have been through and giving us closure. We get shivers when we remember that time.”

In April 2023, an Uttar Pradesh court convicted Ansari and sentenced him 10 years in jail for Rai’s murder.

Slamming the previous governments, Piyush said: “The intention of the government is very important for the betterment of society. The Samajwadi Party government of that time had no vision. Clearly there has been a change since 2017 under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath. We see a zero-tolerance policy towards those who have been spreading corruption and loot in society. These gangsters were thriving under the SP and BSP governments of that time.”

Asked how he and his family braved the storm, Piyush said: “There is always someone who is keeping an eye on people’s sacrifices. Every time I was depressed about standing up to such gangsters, my mother would say I must have faith in the Constitution and the law of the country along with the Almighty. It’s a pure feeling of happiness for us.”

The son of the slain MLA also credited the Adityanath government with helping eradicate lawlessness from the state. “Society now feels safe and is on the path of development. I have seen lots of ups and downs in the 19 years since my father’s death but there is one clear message to gangsters now: Either be in jail or meet the Almighty depending on your karma.”

Jailed gangster-turned-politician Ansari died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in Banda in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which bars large gatherings, were imposed across the state and additional security personnel deployed in the Banda, Mau, Ghazipur and Varanasi districts.

Ansari was brought to the Rani Durgavati Medical College in Banda from the district jail in “an unconscious state” and, according to its principal Suneel Kaushal, he died at the hospital following cardiac arrest. Ansari’s brother and Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari had on Tuesday alleged that he was being subjected to “slow poisoning” in jail, a charge denied by the authorities.