Bajardiha

Truth vs Hype: The Battle for Benares (Part I: Shadow of the Don)

In the narrow bylanes of Bajardiha, one of Benares' many dense Muslim pockets, there is an intense debate brewing. In the 2009 elections, they, like most of the city's approximately three lakh Muslims, voted overwhelmingly for mafia don Mukhtar Ansari, despite the fact that Mr Ansari was in prison facing a number of serious charges including murder...