Rampur (UP): Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan’s name has been put on an online list of land mafias by the district administration here following FIRs registered against him. It has evoked strong protest from his party which raised the issue in UP Legislative Council. The SP alleged that Azam Khan is being framed in ‘fake’ cases.
The state BJP government dismissed the SP’s allegations, asserting it is treating everyone the same and the action is not driven by any political vendetta. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath alleged that Rampur is an example of ‘land-grabbing’ culture under the previous SP government.
“The name of Rampur MP has been put on the list of anti-land mafia portal of the state government Thursday after FIRs were lodged against him on land-grabbing charges,” Additional District Magistrate (Administration) JP Gupta told this agency Friday. “The listing was done by SDM Sadar,” he added.
The former Uttar Pradesh minister was named in the FIRs lodged in connection with alleged forcible acquisition of land for Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, of which Azam Khan is the founder and Chancellor.
District Magistrate (DM) AK Singh said that the ‘farmers had claimed that Azam Khan had acquired their land for Jauhar University through coercion’.
“The names of those who have acquired someone’s land with alleged criminal acts and continue to have possession over it are included in the list on the portal,” the DM pointed out.
The Samajwadi Party, however, alleged that the move was a conspiracy by the Rampur District Magistrate to defame Khan and the university. SP president Akhilesh Yadav has constituted a 21-member committee, led by leader of opposition in the Legislative Council Ahmad Hasan, to ‘probe fake cases’ lodged against Khan in Rampur.
PTI
