The assassination of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai in 2005 stands as a spine-chilling chapter in the history of eastern Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district. Rai, along with six others, was gunned down in a brutal attack orchestrated allegedly on the orders of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari and his brother Afzal Ansari.
The incident, which took place on a cold November afternoon, marked the first instance in India where AK-47 rifles, typically associated with military and terrorist operations, were used in a murder. Rai, who had defeated Afzal Ansari in the 2002 UP Assembly polls, had become a thorn in Mukhtar Ansari's side and a major obstacle to his illegal activities.
The motive behind Rai's assassination stemmed from the political rivalry between Mukhtar Ansari and Rai, compounded by Mukhtar's desire to eliminate anyone obstructing his criminal enterprise. Despite being behind bars at the time, Mukhtar Ansari allegedly orchestrated Rai's murder, even attempting to procure a light machine gun to pierce Rai's bulletproof car.
On the day of Rai's murder, a convoy carrying Rai and his aides was ambushed by assailants wielding AK-47 rifles. Rai's braid was reportedly chopped off as a grim trophy and evidence of his assassination. Over 500 bullets were fired during the attack, leaving Rai and six others dead.
The subsequent legal battle saw Mukhtar Ansari and Afzal Ansari convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, although the fight for justice continues. Numerous witnesses turned hostile or were silenced, leading to a lack of evidence and the eventual acquittal of Mukhtar and Afzal Ansari in 2019.
The political landscape in the Ghazipur district remains fraught with tension, with the Ansari-Rai rivalry persisting even after the deaths of Krishnanand Rai and Mukhtar Ansari. Rai's wife, Alka Rai, has been actively involved in politics, winning the Mohammadabad seat in the 2017 UP Assembly polls but facing defeat in 2022. The battle between the Ansaris and the Rai family appears set to endure, reflecting the enduring legacy of this tragic chapter in Uttar Pradesh's history.
