“Why Choose Quick Ways to Earn Money When You Must Face the Same Destiny”: The Daily Wagers Who Unearthed Mukhtar Ansari’s Grave

For twenty years, Girdhari Lal has been excavating remains at cemeteries in the Ghazipur area of Uttar Pradesh. However, few other workdays have garnered him as much media and political interest as March 30, 2024. It was on this day that he excavated the tomb of Mukhtar Ansari, the Banda Jail-resident criminal who later became a politician.

Regardless of who you are, whatever your degree, you can… Gravedigger Girdhari Lal told News18 that “we all have to meet the same fate… no matter how much money you make.”

“Since we must all suffer the same destiny, why choose to take such short cuts in order to get money? Why should a criminal die? Why not as a politician, medical professional, or someone in another industry?” he pondered.

The daily wagerer said he never imagined himself excavating the tomb of a notorious mobster. “I work for a daily salary. Since I believe that excavating graves is a method to benefit society, I too take up this task. However, I could never have imagined in my wildest thoughts that I would one day be excavating Mukhtar Ansari’s tomb,” he said.

Ansari, a five-term member of parliament from the Mau Sadar constituency, has been incarcerated since 2005 and has faced more than sixty ongoing criminal charges. His condition worsened on Thursday night, and he was taken to the Rani Durgawati Medical College. During his hospital stay, he passed away.

Ansari was buried on Saturday in the Mohammadabad Darzi Tola Kali Bagh burial place in Ghazipur, which is around 0.5 kilometers from his family’s home. According to Girdhari Lal, the former MLA was buried five feet apart from his father, Subhanullah Ansari’s, tomb. The burial cemetery serves as the ancestors’ ultimate resting place.

Digging Ansari’s 7.6-foot-long, 5-foot-deep, and 5-foot-wide grave took Girdhari Lal around six hours. He is paid 500 rupees a day for his labor. He dug Ansari’s tomb with Nagina and Sanjay Kumar, two other laborers.

Sanjay Kumar, who is a Hindu, stated in an interview with News18 that he is often questioned about why he excavates graves.

“I firmly think that humanity is a single species. Whether we are cremated or buried, we must all eventually return to the dust. To provide the deceased proper last rites, we are but a conduit. I find this to be really holy labor, and I don’t really care whether the individual is a saint or a criminal.

Elaborate security measures had been put in place by the local government near Ansari’s home and the burial site. Following the post-mortem on Friday, Ansari’s remains was driven in a convoy under strict security from Banda to his home in Ghazipur. Police cars followed the 400-kilometer ambulance carrying the corpse as it passed through many districts in Uttar Pradesh.

At approximately midnight on Friday, his corpse was carried to his hometown, where pre-burial rites were performed at the house.

In a procession headed by his brother Afzal Ansari, MP for Ghazipur, and son Umar Ansari, the corpse was brought to the Kali Bagh burial cemetery. The parade was joined by a sizable throng, some of whom also held up signs.

A judicial investigation into Mukhtar Ansari’s death has been mandated by the chief judicial magistrate’s court in Banda, with a report due in a month. Afzal Ansari, the MP for Ghazipur and brother of Ansari, claims that his brother was administered “slow poison” while incarcerated.