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.
A Varanasi court on Monday convicted gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari for the murder of Congress leader Awadhesh Rai that took place more than 30 years ago.
Awadhesh Rai, the brother of Congress leader Ajay Rai, was shot dead on August 3, 1991, at the gate of his Lahurabir residence. A case in the matter was registered against Ansari and others.
“Mukhtar has been convicted in the Awadhesh Rai murder case of 1991. The court will pronounce its judgment later in the day,” a lawyer told reporters in Varanasi.
Reacting to the development, Ajay Rai said, “This is the end of our many years of waiting. I, my parents, Awadhesh’s daughter, and the whole family kept patience… Governments came and went and Mukhtar strengthened himself.
“But we did not give up. Because of our lawyers’ efforts, today the court has found Mukhtar guilty in the murder case of my brother,” Rai added.
Earlier in April, a Ghaziapur court convicted Ansari and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment in an Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act case lodged at Mohammadabad police station in Ghazipur district in 2007. This is the fourth case in which Ansari, who is lodged at Banda district jail, has been convicted.
