“Choti Kat Li, Jai Shri Ram Mutthi Me”—Read what Mukhtar Ansari had said after brutal murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai

Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari is dead. He died in Basti Medical College after getting admitted there on March 28. Reports claim his condition deteriorated in jail, after which he was admitted to the hospital and declared dead by the doctors. Ansari had died of cardiac arrest, as per the doctors.

According to a bulletin issued by the Rani Durgavati Medical College, Ansari was brought to the hospital by jail authorities and admitted to the emergency department after he had complained of vomiting. He was unconscious when he arrived in the hospital. A team of 9 doctors were involved in his treatment. But despite all the efforts, Ansari passed away as a result of cardiac arrest, the bulletin said.

Following his demise, there have been different reactions from different people, some celebrated the death of a gangster who killed their kin whereas others including the Samajwadi Party mourned his death.

A convicted gangster and politician from Uttar Pradesh, 63-year-old Ansari had been elected as MLA from the Mau constituency five times, including twice as a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate. He was the relative of former Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari.

Ansari was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in April 2023 for the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai by an MP MLA court. He was sentenced to life in prison on March 13, 2024, in connection with a fake arms license case.

Following the assassination of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai in 2007, criminal charges were levelled against Ansari and his sibling, Afzal Ansari. The attack on Krishnanand Rai took place in 2005. On November 29, 2005, while returning from an event, Krishnanand Rai was ambushed, with his vehicle being riddled with bullets from an AK-47 rifle. Approximately 500 rounds were discharged, leading to the fatalities of Krishnanand Rai and seven others. Rai himself suffered about 67 bullet wounds. Shockingly, the assailants went further by decapitating Krishnanand Rai. Ansari was implicated in the murder.

Reports suggest that the severed head was presented to Ansari. Subsequently, the police procured an audio recording as evidence, purportedly captured during Krishnanand Rai’s assassination. Mafia kingpin Abhay Singh, incarcerated in Faizabad jail, contacted Ansari, detained in Gazipur jail. During their conversation, Ansari was heard informing Abhay Singh about the gunfire exchange involving Munna Bajrangi and Krishnanand Rai. Later, Ansari remarked, “Choti kaat li..Jai Shri Ram mutthi me hain…”

The conversation in the audio was as follows:

Mukhtar: Bolo, Thakur.

Abhay: Brother, the situation has worsened in the middle of the land.

Mukhtar: Yes, they’ve stirred up some trouble, but leave that aside for now. We’ve just found out that there’s gunfire between Krishnanand Rai and Munna Bajrangi.

Abhay: Where, brother?

Mukhtar: There’s a confrontation happening from both sides in Krishnanand Rai’s village.

Abhay: From both sides or one-sided?

Mukhtar: Jai Shri Ram!

Abhay: Okay, okay.

Mukhtar: Listen, the head’s been severed, it’s in the fist. (choti kaat linhi..mutthi me hai…)

Abhay: Alright, alright. We’ll talk later.

Notably, While Ansari was in jail, BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai and six of his associates were gunned down in broad daylight. The attackers fired more than 400 rounds from six AK-47 rifles. Each of the seven deceased had 67 bullets retrieved from their bodies. Shashikant Rai, a crucial witness to the incident, was discovered dead under mysterious circumstances in 2006. He had recognised Angad Rai and Gora Rai, sharpshooters associated with Ansari and Bajrangi, among the assailants who targeted Krishnanand Rai’s convoy.

Following Krishnanand Rai’s assassination, Brajesh Singh, who was Ansari’s rival, fled from the Gazipur-Mau region. He was apprehended in Odisha in 2008. During the same year, Ansari faced allegations in a murder case implicating a witness named Dharmendra Singh; however, the accuser later recanted the charges against Ansari by submitting a sworn statement. In 2012, the Maharashtra government issued a warrant for Ansari’s arrest.

Upon news of his demise, diverse responses surfaced from various factions. The Samajwadi Party, Islamists, and liberals on social media lamented his passing. Conversely, the Congress, BSP leader Mayawati, and the deceased gangster’s family called for an inquiry into his death.

The official handle of the Samajwadi Party, X, tweeted, “We are deeply saddened by the passing of former MLA Shri Mukhtar Ansari. May his soul find peace. Our heartfelt condolences to the grieving family, may they find the strength to endure this profound loss. Respectful homage!”

SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav wrote a long post condemning the UP government for Ansari’s death and demanded an investigation. He said, “We stand with the family of Mukhtar Ansari. Recently he said that he could be murdered anytime, Why he was not given a proper medical facility…We will demand a thorough investigation of the incident.”