Controversial UP MLA Mukhtar Ansari acquitted in murder case

Varanasi, Aug 9 (UNI) A fast track court here today acquitted controversial independent MLA Mukhtar Ansari in a 1988 murder case due to lack of sufficient evidence.

Later, Ansari alleged that Uttar Pradesh DGP Vikram Singh and BJP President Rajnath Singh were conspiring to eliminate him.

Fast Track Judge (II) M P Gupta acquitted Ansari and Harihar Singh of the murder charges, defence counsel Ehtesham Abidi told UNI here.

Seven people including Sadhu Sharan Singh, Harihar, Banshidhar Singh, Virendra Singh, Kamlesh Singh, Bhim Singh and Ansari were accused of murdering Rajendra Singh, a traffic police cop in the Varanasi Traffic Police Lines on October 25, 1988.

Of the seven accused Bhim and Kamlesh were acquitted of murder charges by the same court in 2003, while Virendra , Banshidhar and Sadhu died during the course of trial.

Earlier, Mukhtar -- Uttar Pradesh MLA from Mau -- was brought to the court here, under tight security from the Ghazipur district jail, where he is presently lodged in connection with the November 29, 2005 BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai murder case.

A visibly happy Mukhtar later interacting with newspersons outside the court alleged that Director General of UP Police Vikram Singh and BJP national president Rajnath Singh were planning to eliminate him in police custody.

''Both the DGP and BJP president are planning to eliminate me in police custody. The state police is regularly harassing my well-wishers as part of the same conspiracy,'' he claimed.

Earlier this year, Mukhtar had on the floor of the UP Assembly alleged a threat to his life claiming that BJP president Rajnath Singh, former UP minister Surya Pratap Shahi and then Varanasi Senior Police Superintendent Sujit Pandey were planning to eliminate him in police custody.

UNI