Monsoon session: Day 3 SP protests against ‘harassment’ of Azam
Akhilesh says he fears police would plant AK-47; Govt dismisses charges
3 min read
As soon as the Assembly convened, SP chief and Leader of the Opposition Akhilesh Yadav sought Speaker's intervention, alleging that Azam Khan's university is being targeted and he feared that now police could claim of recovering a bomb or AK-47 from the campus to target the senior party leader. “The university of a very senior member of the House, Azam Khan, is being targeted, and this is not the first time. This time, it might happen that a bomb or AK-47 is placed to implicate Azam Khan,” Akhilesh said.
Samajwadi Party legislators on Wednesday protested against the alleged “harassment” of senior party MLA Mohammad Azam Khan by the BJP government in the Assembly.
Demanding adjournment of the proceedings of the House to discuss the issue, the party accused the government of trying to implicate Khan in “false” cases.
Khan was released earlier this year after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail. He is facing around 90 cases, including charges of corruption and theft.
On Monday, another case was registered against him and his son, Abdullah Azam Khan, in Rampur for allegedly stealing a cleaning machine from a municipality and using it for Mohammad Ali Jauhar University established by him. Police reportedly recovered the machine buried in a 5-foot-deep pit inside the university campus.
On Tuesday, police claimed to have recovered “stolen books” of 200-year-old Alia Madrasa from the university after razing a wall inside the campus. These books were allegedly stolen in 2016.
As soon as the Assembly convened, SP chief and Leader of the Opposition Akhilesh Yadav sought Speaker’s intervention, alleging that Azam Khan’s university is being targeted and he feared that now police could claim of recovering a bomb or AK-47 from the campus to target the senior party leader. “The university of a very senior member of the House, Azam Khan, is being targeted, and this is not the first time. This time, it might happen that a bomb or AK-47 is placed to implicate Azam Khan,” Akhilesh said.
Later during the Zero Hour, senior SP MLA Mata Prasad Pandey said, “The way fake cases have been filed by the government against him with a vengeance that he was kept in jail for over two years. The Supreme Court gave him bail, but still, this government is fabricating cases against him on minor issues… He is not a criminal or a dacoit.”
SP MLAs demanded a proper inquiry and not “harass” him.
After listening to SP legislators Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna rejected their charges and said, “No fake cases have been filed against him. First of all, the man who has complained belongs to the same community… Whatever cases have been registered are lodged on the basis of complaints and the investigation is underway.”
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“This government will do justice to everyone and justice will also be done to the honourable member,” Khanna added.
In the Legislative Council, Chairman Kunwar Manvendra Singh told SP members that the matter can be raised only after Question Hour. Despite this, the SP members kept on protesting.
—With PTI
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