India, March 31 -- faisal.malik@htlive.com

MUMBAI: Shabbir Ahmed Ansari, national president of the All-India Muslim OBC Organisation and a prominent social activist, passed away last Sunday after battling cancer for over a year. He was laid to rest in Jalna.

The 79-year-old, widely regarded as a towering figure in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) movement, dedicated almost five decades of his life to advancing social justice and the welfare of backward communities. As president of the All-India Muslim OBC Organisation, he played a pivotal role in mobilising grassroots support across Maharashtra and beyond on issues of reservation and equal rights. He was instrumental in advocating the implementation of the Mandal Commission recommendati...