Why is Azam Khan staying away from Rampur?

Samajwadi Party MP Mohd Azam Khan has not visited his home in Rampur since the past one month. It is rather unusual as Khan would remain in Rampur on weekends even when he was a minister in the Uttar Pradesh cabinet and stayed in Lucknow.

According to sources, Khan is apprehensive of his arrest in multiple cases of land grab, book theft, money laundering and lion statue theft that have been registered against him in the past one month.

Rampur Superintendent of Police (SP) Ajay Pal Sharma said the SP MP's arrest was possible in the sections under which cases had been registered against him. "We will arrest him only when investigations confirm his involvement in the cases," he said.

District Magistrate Anjneya Kumar Singh said that there was no restriction on Azam Khan visiting Rampur. "But he has not come to Rampur ever since cases have been registered against him," the official said.

Congress Minority Cell Vice President Faisal Khan said: "Azam Khan is facing various charges of forgery and theft and he knows he will be arrested if he comes here. That is the reason he is keeping away from Rampur."

BJP spokesman Chandra Mohan said the Yogi government is taking stern action against land mafia and Azam Khan had already been declared one. "We will not compromise on any issue related to law and order," he said.

A source close to Azam Khan, however, said that the MP's wife, Tanzeen Fatima, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, was unwell and was undergoing treatment in Delhi. "Azam Khan is with her in Delhi and will come to Rampur soon," he said.

Azam Khan has been in the eye of storm after 26 cases of land grabbing were registered against him by farmers, who claim, that he usurped their land for Rampur's Jauhar University.

The police have also charged him with the theft of about 2,000 books from the town's ancient Aaliya Madarasa. The books were recovered from the University in a raid.

Two lion statues, reportedly stolen from Rampur Club, were also found in the University. IANS