Mukhtar Ansari's body leaves for Ghazipur amidst heavy security

The timing of the last rites will be decided after the body is brought to Ghazipur.Meanwhile, security arrangements have been tightened in Ghazipur and surrounding districts, including Mau.Family sources said his body will be laid to rest at the Kali Bagh graveyard, located about half-a-kilometre away from the Ansari familys residence.

After the completion of postmortem, gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari's body on Friday left for his native place in Ghazipur amidst heavy security from here, police officials said.

The ambulance carrying the body was accompanied by police vehicles to ensure security along the 400-kilometre-long route via several districts of Uttar Pradesh.

After the postmortem at the Rani Durgavati Medical College, Banda, a convoy of 26 vehicles carrying Mukhtar Ansari's body left for Ghazipur at 5.45 pm. As many as 24 police vehicles along with the ambulance are in the convoy along with two vehicles of Ansari's family, police said.

As per police officials, Mukhtar Ansari's son Umar Ansari and Abbas Ansari's wife and their two cousins were present inside the ambulance carrying the body.

The state government had in advance chalked out the route for taking the body following the gangster's death due to cardiac arrest on Thursday.

On the way to Ghazipur, the convoy will pass through districts including Prayagraj, Bhadohi, Kaushambi and Varanasi before reaching Ghazipur. As per the family members of Mukhtar Ansari, the burial will take place in Ghazipur.

A grave has been dug at the family cemetery at Mohammadabad's Kali Bagh in Ghazipur. The timing of the last rites will be decided after the body is brought to Ghazipur.

Meanwhile, security arrangements have been tightened in Ghazipur and surrounding districts, including Mau.

Family sources said his body will be laid to rest at the Kali Bagh graveyard, located about half-a-kilometre away from the Ansari family's residence. Sources said the graves of Ansari's parents are in the same cemetery.

According to officials, his body is likely to reach Ghazipur by late evening.

Heavy police force has been deployed from the residence of the Ansari family to the graveyard, and barricades have been put up at various places.

Circle Officer of the area Atar Singh and Station House Officer of the Mohammadabad police station Pawan Kumar Upadhyay said that a grave has been dug for the burial and the family members have said that the timing of the burial will be decided once the body is brought.

The SHO said that Ansari's family members have said that if the body reaches there by 10 pm, then the burial will be held on Friday itself, else it will be held on Saturday morning.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)