3 min readLucknowMar 17, 2026 05:27 PM IST
First published on: Mar 17, 2026 at 05:27 PM IST
A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against Samajwadi Party leader Yusuf Malik for allegedly spreading a misleading message attributed to jailed party leader and former cabinet minister Azam Khan, urging people to mark Eid by wearing black clothes and armbands as a sign of protest. Khan is currently lodged in Rampur district jail.
The police said that Malik, while addressing the media and supporters outside the jail on Saturday, claimed that Khan had conveyed that people should observe Eid in black. The statement was subsequently circulated widely across social media platforms and reported in sections of the press.
During the initial probe, the police found that Malik had not met Khan on Saturday. Subsequently, acting on a complaint lodged by Sub-Inspector Prem Chand Sharma, who accused Malik of circulating misleading information in Khan’s name, the Rampur police registered an FIR against him at Ganj police station.
The case was filed under sections 196 (promoting enmity between groups), 353 (statements conducing to public mischief), and 57 (abetting the commission of an offence by the public or a group of more than ten persons) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). No one has been arrested in the case.
Malik could not be contacted for comment.
Jitendra Kumar, Circle Officer, Rampur, said an inquiry is on into the matter.
According to the police, on Monday, they took cognisance of reports circulating in the media in which Malik claimed to have met Khan in jail and relayed a message purportedly given by him. However, during preliminary inquiry, it emerged that Malik had instead addressed a public meeting and held a press conference outside the jail premises on March 14.
The police alleged the act, prima facie, appeared to incite enmity between communities and threaten public order. Its circulation created fear among residents and seemed intended to provoke tensions between groups. Officials added that it disrupted communal harmony and is being treated as a serious, punishable offence, warranting strict action.
Samajwadi Party’s Moradabad district president Jaiveer Yadav said Malik is in the party but does not hold any post. He added that Malik used to look after Khan’s cases.
A 10-time MLA from Rampur Sadar and a former Cabinet minister, Azam Khan, has been lodged in jail since November after a local court in Rampur sentenced him and his son, Abdullah Azam Khan, to seven years’ imprisonment in a case related to the use of two PAN cards. Azam is considered one of the SP’s prominent Muslim leaders and has long been a key figure in the party.
The police said that Malik, while addressing the media and supporters outside the jail on Saturday, claimed that Khan had conveyed that people should observe Eid in black. (Image generated using Google Gemini) 
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