Fact Check: Old video of Mukhtar Ansari’s son threatening officers in UP falsely linked to LS poll results

Hyderabad: A video of the late gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s son, Abbas Ansari, threatening officers in public meeting is circulating on social media. The video is being shared with the claim that the threat was made after the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

In the video, he is heard saying that he has requested Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav to halt all transfers and postings of officials for the next six months. In a threatening tone, he could be heard stating that ‘before any transfers are allowed, we will first settle our accounts with the officials.’

An X user shared the video and wrote, “Here is another glimpse of the hooliganism after the Lok Sabha election results! A direct threat to officers from Akhilesh Yadav’s close associate, the son of mafia Mukhtar Ansari!” Further quoting Abbas Ansari the post read, “I have spoken to Akhilesh and made sure that no officer will be transferred. They will stay here and not go anywhere. First, we will settle the accounts. (Translated from Hindi)” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading as the video is from 2022.

We ran a specific keyword search and found the video posted by Keshav Prasad Maurya, the BJP leader and deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh on March 4, 2022. (Archive)

In the caption, Maurya said, “Mafia and SP candidate Mukhtar Ansari’s son Abbas Ansari, who is lodged in Banda jail, is openly threatening the administration and police officials. He is contesting elections from the Mau Assembly constituency. In Varanasi, SP workers lathi-charged policemen. (translated from Hindi)”

According to a Navbharat Times report from March 4, 2022, Abbas Ansari delivered a provocative speech during the last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2022. Abbas, the candidate from Mau representing the SP’s ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, made a controversial statement threatening officers during a public meeting held in Paharpura Ground in the city area. He allegedly said that after the formation of the government, revenge would be taken against officers who had committed atrocities on the people.

We also found Abbas’s controversial statements reported with the same details by Jansatta and Jagran in March 2022.

Hence, we conclude that the video is from 2022. The claim that Abbas Ansari threatened officers after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is misleading.