After Mukhtar Ansari, Yogi Adityanath also shifts jail of gangster Ateeq Ahmed

NEW DELHI: The crackdown on gangsters in UP jails is continuing. After Mukhtar Ansari, the Yogi Adityanath government has also changed the jail of former MP and strongman, Ateeq Ahmed. The new government has also cleared Rs 42 crore for installing mobile jammers in 12 sensitive jails.

Ahmed, who is in jail in an assault case, is being shifted from Allahabad's Naini Jail to Deoria jail. Allahabad is the home town of Ahmed and he has been lodged there for almost two months now after being arrested in a assault case and has been denied bail by the Allahabad High court. A member of the Samajwadi Party, he was granted a ticket to fight from Kanpur Cantonment seat in the recent elections but stepped down after Akhilesh Yadav was not inclined to approve his candidature. Ahmed has multiple cases against him, including one for the murder of a BSP MLA.

Earlier this week, the UP government had also shifted Mukhtar Ansari out of Lucknow jail, where he had been brought last year from Agra jail after his party had merged with Samajwadi Party. Over two dozen dreaded criminals have been transferred from one jail to another in last week.

The new mobile jammers being installed in UP jails is also a step to stop gangsters from having a free run from behind bars, as promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the election campaign. Seven jails are being specially fitted with solar-powered mobile phone jammers as criminals were able to use their mobiles in jails during power cuts, as the jammers got shut down. The Yogi government has also approved Rs 3 Cr for installing 'Pole Metal detection system' in 38 jails across UP in order to stop entry of banned items inside jails for criminals and reduce dependence on physical frisking for the same. 20 jails are also being fitted with CCTVs. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has kept the jails portfolio with himself to effect such measures.