Mukhtar Ansari enjoyed VIP facilities at Ropar jail: Police report

Tribune News Service

Jupinderjit Singh

Chandigarh, April 18

A police inquiry has revealed that gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari got special facilities during his highly controversial two years and three months incarceration between January 2019 and April 2021 in the Ropar jail during the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress regime.

The inquiry, conducted by ADGP RN Dhoke, has recommended proceedings under the Prevention of Corruption Act against some jail officials for allegedly taking bribe from Ansari in lieu of the facilities.

However, the report has not indicted any Congress leader or the Centre in this regard. The controversial stay was a hot topic in those days, especially during the campaigning of the 2022 Assembly poll.

Sources said the inquiry report had not established the allegation that Ansari’s wife or family members stayed with him in the jail.

It was alleged earlier that Ansari had connection with some state and national Congress leaders. He was behind the bars in an Uttar Pradesh jail and feared elimination at the hands of the police or rival gangsters. In January 2019, the Punjab Police from Mohali brought him on a transit remand from the UP jail after lodging an FIR that he sought ransom of Rs 10 crore from a builder in Sector 70.

However, the Mohali police didn’t file a challan in the court and the state government was hesitant to send him back to UP despite 25 reminders by the UP government. Eventually, the UP Government got Ansari’s custody through the SC.

The inquiry report of ADGP Dhoke submitted last month is under consideration of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The report is not in public domain. The CM had on Monday took a stern action against the police-drug mafia nexus by ordering the dismissal of AIG Raj Jit Singh on his complicity with former Inspector Inderjit Singh, who was dismissed earlier for colluding with drug smugglers.

Sukhjinder Randhawa was the Jail Minister during the Congress regime when Ansari was shifted to the Ropar jail. His successor Harjot Singh Bains had spearheaded the campaign against the Congress government and Randhawa for helping a gangster. CM Mann had taken over the jail portfolio from Bains in the last Cabinet reshuffle.

Police had brought him in Jan 2019

• It was alleged earlier that Ansari had a connection with some state and national Congress leaders
• He was behind the bars in Uttar Pradesh jail and feared elimination at the hands of the police or rival gangsters
• In January 2019, the Punjab Police brought him on a transit remand from UP after lodging an FIR that he sought a ransom of Rs 10 cr from a builder in Sector 70
• However, the Mohali police didn’t file any challan and the state government was hesitant to send him back despite 25 reminders by the UP Government
• Eventually, the UP Government got Ansari’s custody through the Supreme Court

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