New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday reacted to the Opposition’s accusations over gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s death, saying the masses should be aware of their tactics of communal polarisation.

“Ghazipur, Mau, Jaunpur, Azamgarh, and Balia were known as the epicentre of the comrades. How did these regions become the hotspot of criminals?… We all need to beware. Their tactics of communal polarisation have been nullified by PM Narendra Modi’s efforts of inclusive empowerment,” said BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

BJP leader Sidharth Nath Singh slammed the Opposition for backing a criminal.

“Mukhtar Ansari is a criminal…leaders of SP, Congress and BSP are jumping now, showing how much pain they have for a criminal. Serious allegations have been made against Mukhtar Ansari and even the court sentenced him to life imprisonment but still their pain towards him indicates how they (SP, Congress and BSP) backed the protection of ‘mafia raj’,” he said.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav today demanded that a Supreme Court judge must probe the death of Mukhtar Ansari.

Mukhtar Ansari, a murder convict who had been an MLA in Uttar Pradesh, died on Thursday in the Banda Medical College due to cardiac arrest.

Mukhtar Ansari’s family members have claimed that he had been given what they called “slow poison”.

“It is the foremost responsibility and duty of the government to protect someone’s life in every situation and at every place,” Akhilesh Yadav said.

“The death of a hostage or prisoner in any of the following circumstances will erode public confidence in the judicial process — while confined in a police station, in a fight inside the jail, on falling ill inside the prison, while being taken to hospital, during treatment in hospital, by showing a false encounter, by showing a false suicide, by showing casualties in an accident — all such doubtful cases should be probed under the supervision of a Supreme Court judge,” he added.

Meanwhile, BSP president Mayawati also demanded a high-level probe into Ansari’s death.

“The persistent apprehensions and serious allegations made by Mukhtar Ansari’s family regarding his death in jail require a high-level investigation so that the true facts of his death can be revealed,” she said.

Live updates on Mukhtar Ansari’s death

Ansari’s son Umar Ansari said he was given slow poison on March 19 and his lawyers had apprised the court about the same.

“We got the news of his death only through the media. We will demand a high-level inquiry and do whatever we have to do through the court. We have full confidence in the court,” he said.

After Mukhtar Ansari’s death, the UP administration imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC. They also enhanced security in Ansari’s sphere of influence — Banda, Mau, Ghazipur and Varanasi.

With inputs from PTI, ANI