Jailed don-turned-politico Mukhtar Ansari, along with 25 inmates of District Jail in Banda, tested positive for coronavirus infection on Sunday.
The BSP MLA had been running fever, cough and cold since Friday evening and had undergone an RT-PCR test on Saturday along with other inmates which confirmd that 26 of the inmates were carrying the infection.
Ansari has ben quarantined in barrack number 15 and jail authorities have banned the entry of anyone into that area, which is under 24X7 camera surveillance. A request of his relatives for meeting the jailed gangster was turned down. However, some articles brought by them to make Ansari comfortable in jail were passed on to him in his cell. After testing positive, the jail doctors started giving medication to the high-profile inmate and were observing his health condition.
Earlier on the directions of the Supreme Court, Ansari was brought back to Banda jail from Ropar jail in Punjab amid heavy security on April 7. He has been attending the hearing of cases pending against him in different courts through video-conferencing. Jail authorities claimed that he might have caught the coronavirus infection from jail inmates who were serving him.
Other jail inmates who also tested positive have been quarantined in a separate barrack. The prison authorities have recommended RT-PCR tests of remaining inmates and staff as many of them have shown symptoms of the viral infection. Over 50 inmates in Banda District Jail have so far tested positive for coronavirus infection since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. As a precautionary measure, the jail officials have banned meetings of inmates with their relatives till further orders.