After spending over two years in a Punjab jail, gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari was introduced again to Banda jail early on Wednesday morning.
He was ferried in an ambulance guarded by a robust posse of gun-toting safety personnel all through his 900-km journey from Rupnagar to this Uttar Pradesh city within the Bundelkhand area.
Acting on a Supreme Court order, the Uttar Pradesh Police took custody of the 57-year-old BSP MLA at Rupnagar jail on Tuesday to deliver him again to Banda jail. It took round two hours to finish the formalities earlier than he was handed over to the UP Police after a medical examine up.
Once the convoy entered the state on Tuesday night, the fleet of safety automobiles of the Uttar Pradesh Police, which included an ambulance geared up with all life-saving tools to fulfill any exigency en path to Banda, a journey that takes round 14 hours from Ropar, and an anti-riot police car ‘Vajra’ whizzed previous the newly-laid expressways.
Before the convoy entered Banda jail at 4.30 am, it slowed down close to Kanpur Dehat as some stray animals blocked the street alongside a patch of thick forest. Apart from the ambulance, three police automobiles additionally entered the Banda jail premises.
At 1.30 am, the police convoy wherein Mukhtar Ansari was shifting, was stopped for someday in Satti police station space.
As anxious reporters ran to the policemen and sought the explanations for the sudden stoppage from them, no response was given, and the policemen on the spot tried to evade the questions posed by reporters.
Later, SO of Satti police station Kapil Dubey informed PTI, “Mukhtar used toilet in the Satti police station premises to attend nature’s call. He stayed inside the police station for almost 5 minutes.”
Before this, round 1.10 am, the convoy got here to a halt on the street between Bhognipur and Ghatampur resulting from some stray animals.
Initially, the pace of the automobiles was decreased, then the automobiles had been stopped, and native police eliminated the stray animals, following which the convoy resumed its journey.
While heavy safety association had been made by the Punjab Police exterior Rupnagar jail, the Banda jail space appeared like a cantonment zone with policemen holding a hawk-eyed vigil throughout.
The police convoy entered Uttar Pradesh by means of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway in Baghpat round 6.00 pm, Allahabad zone?Additional Director General of Police Prem Prakash informed PTI.
The Uttar Pradesh staff had reached Rupnagar police strains at 4.30 am on Tuesday and left for the jail round midday for the switch.
The convoy left the jail premises at 2:08 pm taking a aspect gate, dodging mediapersons ready exterior the primary gate. As the convoy took the Ambala street, some media automobiles gave a chase however quickly gave up.
The five-time MLA will cool his heels in barrack quantity 15 of the Banda district jail, the place he was lodged up to now earlier than being?shifted to Punjab. Additional police drive has been deployed on the jail on the request of jail authorities.
He shall be guarded by three safety personnel round the clock contained in the barrack.
“Security personnel have been posted inside as well as outside the jail premises,” Banda jailor Pramod Tiwari stated.
“In barrack number 15, where Ansari will be kept, arrangements for light, drinking water and cleanliness have been beefed up,” he?stated.
Tiwari stated entry to the barrack has now been denied to different jail inmates.
The fundamental jail advanced gate, which usually stays open, will now be stored closed. Only these jail workers reporting for responsibility shall be?allowed in after correct screening, he added.
High towers have been put up exterior the jail and further police pickets have additionally been set as much as maintain a watch on each customer.
Meanwhile, principal of Government Medical College, Banda, Dr Mukesh Kumar Yadav stated a panel of 4 medical doctors has been?constituted on the apex court docket’s instructions to observe Ansari’s well being.
Ansari was lodged in Rupnagar jail in January 2019 in reference to an extortion case.
The legislator from Mau in japanese Uttar Pradesh is dealing with 52 instances within the state and elsewhere, and 15 of them are within the trial stage.
The BJP-run Uttar Pradesh authorities had accused the Congress authorities in Punjab of protecting Ansari for a number of months by?not letting the state take custody.
Punjab’s dwelling division had requested the Uttar Pradesh authorities to take Ansari’s custody by April 8, following the March 26?Supreme Court order that had set a two-week deadline.
The apex court docket had famous that Ansari was allegedly concerned in instances of homicide, try and homicide, dishonest and conspiracy, aside?from offences below the Gangsters Act.
It stated his custody was being denied to the Uttar Pradesh Police on trivial grounds below the guise of medical points.
The SC additionally stated a convict or an undertrial who disobeys the legislation of the land can not oppose his switch from one jail to a different?and the courts can’t be helpless bystanders when the rule of legislation is being challenged with impunity.
As Uttar Pradesh takes cost of the high-profile undertrial, his spouse Afshan Ansari moved the Supreme Court searching for instructions to?the state authorities to make sure his security, together with from a police encounter.
