MLA Mukhtar Ansari shifted to U.P. jail

State police escorted him from Punjab

A cavalcade moves towards Banda Jail to transport gangster-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari from Punjab to Uttar Pradesh jail, in Rupnagar district, Tuesday, April 6, 2021.

: Mau MLA Mukhtar Ansari was on Wednesday lodged at a jail in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda after being transferred from Ropar prison in Punjab, officials said.

Escorted by a security team of the U.P. police, Mr. Ansari was then put through a series of checks and no illegal item was found on him, said the State Prison Department.

A team of doctors from Government Medical College, Banda, examined him and concluded that he had no immediate health problems, said a spokesman for the Prison Department. The legislator will also be tested for COVID-19.

In Banda jail, he will be lodged in a barrack that will be under round-the-clock surveillance.

“The jail administration has taken adequate measures for Mukhtar Ansari’s security,” said the spokesperson.

The controversial MLA, who has 16 pending cases against him, was transferred to the custody of U.P. government on the directions of the Supreme Court.