Azam, 3 others held guilty in 2016 vandalism case

He was produced in the Rampur court on Saturday.

“The court held Azam Khan, Aaley Hasan, a retired DSP, Barkat Ali, a contractor, and one Azhar Ali guilty in the case. Barkat and Aaley Hasan, who were out on bail, were taken into custody,” said district government counsel Amit Saxena said.

The four were held guilty under Sections 452 (house trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of 50 rupees), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

The court acquitted three other accused — Zibran, Farman and Omendra Chauhan — in the case citing “the benefit of the doubt”, the district government counsel said.

According to the prosecution, Ahtesham Khan told the police in his complaint that he bought a parcel of land in Dongarpur in 2011-12 to set up a school. In a portion of the land, he built a house where he was staying with his family, he added.

On the evening of February 3, 2016, Azhar Khan, Aaley Hasan and Barkat Ali along with 20-25 policemen forcibly entered his house and dragged him and his family out, he alleged. The accused vandalised the household items and ran a bulldozer over the property, he said.

The complainant said when he went to Azam Khan to lodge his protest soon after the incident, Khan along with Zibran his brother Farman, Omendra Singh Chauhan and others abused him.

Since the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017, a total of 81 cases have been registered against Khan. These charges range from land-grabbing to cheating and criminal trespass.