First-hand account: A visit to ‘Phatak’, Mukhtar Ansari’s family home in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur

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Purvanchal Expressway, a 6-lane access-controlled highway connecting Ghazipur with the Uttar Pradesh capital, Lucknow. Yet, the town is known to rest of India for ‘Phatak’ – the sprawling home of the Ansaris, the family of the gangster-turned politician Mukhtar Ansari, who died of a cardiac arrest on March 28. In October 2023, two colleagues and I visited 'Phatak' for a story.

We didn't have an appointment, but a local journalist in Varanasi suggested that we take a chance and try to arrange a video interview with someone at the home. Also Read : Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari dies: A look at the life and times of the 'Bahubali’ of eastern UP By noon, we arrived at the gates of 'Phatak.' An elderly bearded person led us to a roofed platform outside a room bearing the nameplate 'Afzal Ansari' in Hindi. Afzal Ansari, Mukhtar's brother, is the Member of Parliament from Ghazipur, a seat previously held by BJP leader Manoj Sinha, who is now the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Sansad ji araam kar rahe hain, aap intezaar kijiye (Afzal Ansari is resting, please wait)," said one of the attendants. In the meantime, we began setting up our cameras and capturing some visuals. The attendant allowed us to enter the room with the 'Afzal Ansari' nameplate.

Inside, the three walls and shelves were adorned with photographs of several generations of family members, some alone and others alongside political leaders such as Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati. It's no surprise that leaders from the SP and BSP have expressed condolences over Mukhtar's death. Apart from the family's political affiliations, the room serves as a reminder of the eminent