New Delhi: Congress leader Ajay Rai, whose brother Awadhesh Rai was killed by Mukhtar Ansari, welcomed the verdict of the court sentencing the gangster-turned-politician to life imprisonment and a fine of Rupees 1 lakh in the 1991 murder case.
After Ansari's conviction, Ajay Rai raised security concerns and said that if any incident happened to him, the BJP government would be responsible.
Speaking to the media persons, Rai said, "Today, we have won after a 32-year-long battle. We welcome the verdict of the court...If any incident happens with me, its responsibility will be on the BJP govt."
Notably, on August 3, 1991, Congress leader and brother of former MLA Ajay Rai, Awadhesh Rai, was shot dead outside Ajay Rai's house in Varanasi.
Earlier while waiting for the court to pronounce the quantum of sentence, Rai had said, "We have faith in the judicial system. We hope he gets the maximum possible punishment. Mafia Mukhtar Ansari tried to tamper with the evidence several times."
The Special Court which concluded the hearing after arguments on May 19, reserved its order, and fixed June 5 as the date to deliver it.
On August 3, 1991, Awadhesh was standing outside his brother Ajay's residence in Varanasi's Lahurabir area under Chetganj police station when assailants came in a Maruti van and opened fire on him. Wounded Awadhesh was admitted to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Following the incident, Ajay Rai lodged an FIR at Chetganj police station against Mukhtar Ansari, Bhim Singh, Kamlesh Singh, Rakesh, and former MLA Abdul Kalam. Two of the named accused Kamlesh and Abdul Kalam have died.
In April this year, the gangster-turned-politician was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a fine of Rupees 5 lakh by an MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur in a kidnapping and murder case involving the death of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Afzal Ansari, and brother of Mukhtar Ansari was also convicted in the same case. The court sentenced Afzal to four years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on him.
In the 2007 Gangsters Act case, Mukhtar Ansari was sentenced to ten years in prison and fined five lakh rupees by the Ghazipur court. Ansari, who has been in prison for over 15 years, now has nearly 60 cases against him. Mukhtar and Afzal Ansari joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 2007 after claiming that the charges against them were false.