Mukhtar Ansari tests positive for COVID-19
Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, lodged at Banda jail in Uttar Pradesh, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. According to the details, the samples of Ansari were collected from the jail premises on Saturday, following which his antigen report has come out to be positive. Mukhtar Ansari's RTPCR report result is, however, yet awaited. The gangster- turned-politician is currently suffering from fever and is under observation by doctors.
Mukhtar Ansari was brought back to Banda jail this month in an ambulance, part of a convoy carrying gun-toting policemen, throughout the 900-km journey from Rupnagar to this Uttar Pradesh town in the Bundelkhand region.
Hours later, his brother Afzal Ansari, who is also the BSP MP from Ghazipur, had accused the police of treating him in an "inhuman" manner during the journey, claiming he was not given food or water.
"In the over 15-hour journey, he was not given water and food and was also denied medical aid. Due to this, he became unwell and reached Banda jail in a semi-conscious state," he alleged.
Afzal Ansari, however, did not elaborate how he got to know about the alleged treatment meted out to his brother.
But he did not substantiate the allegation and, according to the UP government, a medical panel examined the 57-year-old after his arrival and found no immediate health concerns.
The Bahujan Samaj Party MLA from Mau faces trial in Uttar Pradesh in several cases, including an attempt to murder and murder.
His transfer from Punjab was ordered by the Supreme Court after the UP government approached it, seeking the politician's custody from Punjab.
