In a significant development, shopkeepers associated with the Ghazal Hotel, linked to mafia figure Mukhtar Ansari, have received relief following a Supreme Court directive. The Ghazipur administration has opened the locks of six shops that were sealed in 2021 under the Gangster Act. The reopening occurred on Wednesday, October 1st, bringing relief to the shopkeepers.
The shops at the Ghazal Hotel, situated in Mauhabagh, Ghazipur Kotwali, were closed due to the Gangster Act’s enforcement. The reopening was overseen by Sadar Tehsildar Rajiv Yadav, and the shopkeepers expressed their happiness, coinciding with the Navratri celebrations. They saw it as a double blessing.
Aamir Ansari, one of the shopkeepers, expressed joy, highlighting the simultaneous release of Mukhtar Ansari’s son, Umar Ansari, from jail and the reopening of the shops. He stated that their livelihoods had been disrupted since 2021, leading to significant hardships.
Of the 15 shops in the complex, six were part of a petition filed by four shopkeepers in the Supreme Court. The court issued an order in May to reopen these six shops. After completing the required government procedures, the shops were unlocked under the supervision of Sadar Tehsildar Rajiv Yadav. The rent collected from these shops will now go to the government treasury.
The Ghazal Hotel case is related to Mukhtar Ansari and his wife, Afsha Ansari. The shops were sealed in 2021, following the administration’s action based on alleged misuse of the hotel land. The shopkeepers are now delighted with the reopening, which followed the Supreme Court’s decision to appoint the Tehsildar as administrator and allow the shops to reopen.