Team of over 80 UP police personnel leaves for Punjab to bring back Ansari

A team of the Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday left for Punjab to bring back gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who faces trial in several cases in the state, officials said.

Punjab's home department in a letter had asked the Uttar Pradesh government to take custody of Ansari from the Rupnagar jail on or before April 8.

It had written to the Uttar Pradesh additional chief secretary (home) following a March 26 Supreme Court order that had directed the Punjab government to transfer the BSP's Mau MLA to UP's Banda jail in two weeks from the Rupnagar prison, where he has been since January 2019 in connection with an extortion case.

"A team of over 80 Uttar Pradesh Police personnel equipped with sophisticated weapons and a company of the Provincial Armed Constabulary left from Banda on Monday morning to bring back Ansari from Punjab," a senior police official said.

Delivering the order on Macrh 26, the apex court had also noted that Ansari was allegedly involved in various cases of attempt to murder, murder, cheating and conspiracy apart from offences under the Gangsters Act, lodged in Uttar Pradesh and 10 of these cases are at different stages of trial.

Acting Superintendent of the Banda District Jail Pramod Tiwari said that for Ansari, all arrangements have been made in Barrack Number-15, where no other prisoner can reach.

"Three prison guards will be deployed inside the barrack," he said.

In the letter, the Punjab Home Department had asked the Uttar Pradesh additional chief secretary (Home) for suitable arrangements to be made for Ansari's transfer. "The said handover is to be made at district jail Rupnagar on/before April 8," the letter stated.

It also said that Ansari suffered from certain medical conditions and the same may be kept in mind while making arrangements for his transfer.

Additional Director General of Police, Allahabad Zone, Prem Prakash had on Sunday said that an ambulance will part of the convoy going to Punjab.

Mukhtar Ansari's brother Afzal Ansari, who is the MP from Ghazipur, on Sunday had said, "The safety of Mukhtar after he comes to the UP jail is the responsibility of the judiciary and of the Yogi Adityanath government. The court should monitor the safety and medical facilities.