Mukhtar Ansari, gangster-turned-politician, died on Thursday night after suffering a cardiac arrest. The jailed gangster was serving life imprisonment in various cases in Uttar Pradesh's Banda jail.
Among various cases that he was convicted in, Mukhtar Ansari, on April 29, 2023 was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment in connection with the killing of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai on November 29, 2005 by the Ghazipur MP/MLA court.
Who was Krishnanand Rai?
Krishnanand Rai was a BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh's Mohammadabad seat after he secured victory in the 2002 Assembly election.
However, Krishnanand's victory from Mohammadabad seat didn't go well with Mukhtar Ansari and his elder brother and BSP leader Afzal Ansari.
Fearing that his dominance in the region may fade away, Ansari's gang attacked Krishnanand Rai's convoy near UP's Basaniya Chatti area in November 2005.
Six AK-47s were used, 500 gunshots fired
According to reports, during the shootout, around 500 rounds of gunfire were shot from six AK 47 rifles in which Krishnanand Rai and six others were killed.
The incident triggered widespread anguish against the gangster and the administration.
However, Mukhtar Ansari and his elder brother were acquitted by the court in 2019. But in 2023, the gangster was sentenced to 10-year jail for the killing of Krishnanand Rai.
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