Prison minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia came out in strong defense of the state government clarifying that the shifting of don-turned-politician Mokhtar Ansari from Agra to lucknow jail, was a normal administrative procedure.
Eyebrows were being raised over the sudden transfer soon after the merger of Ansari’s Quami Ekta Dal(QED) with the Samajwadi Party in lucnow last Tuesday.
“It is just a normal official procedure of the Prison department to shift any criminal or undertrial on administrative ground or on the directions of court. Hence no issue should be made by the media on shifting of Ansari,” asserted Ramoowalia.
“There are several reasons for the transfer of Mokhtar Ansari which included his health condition,” he clarified and added that as a Jail minister he is responsible for anything that happens in the department.
“We have not sent him to Nainital or any other tourist place but he is in jail whether it is in Agra or lucknow,” he commented.
Talking to the media in lucknow on Friday, Ramoowalia further said that there was no conspiracy in the transfer of Ansari from Agra to lucknow jail. Maintaining that Ansari could be further transferred to any other jail in future, the minister refused that the CM had questioned him over the matter.
The minister also hinted that Mokhtar could also be shifted in any other jail in the state which implies even his home district of Ghazipur.
On Thursday, ADG (Jail) DS Chauhan was suddenly shifted triggering speculations that the CM was annoyed over the transfer of Mokhtar Ansari from Agra to lucknow jail. The ADG had issued the order on June 17 for the transfer.
But teh Jail minister chose to play it down saying, “Transfer of officials were a normal process and the shifting of ADG should not be linked to this matter.”