Trouble mounts for Azam Khan, three more FIRs against SP leader in land encroachment cases

Azam Khan's name has already been included in Uttar Pradesh government's list of 'land mafias' by the Rampur district administration.

File photo

New Delhi: Three additional FIRs were filed on Saturday against Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan in connection with land encroachment cases, taking the total number of FIRs against him to 26.

Trouble has been brewing against the controversial MP who has been accused in several land grabbing cases. Earlier this week, his name was included in Uttar Pradesh government's list of 'land mafias' by the Rampur district administration which signalled tough action may be round the corner. News agency ANI reported that three additional FIRs were filed against him on Saturday which signals an already tight noose tightening even further.

According to Ajay Pal Sharma, SP Rampur, these FIRs have been filed after complaints made by farmers who has said police officials were used to threaten them and to grab their land by illegal means. A team has been formed to investigate the matter.

A controversial figure, Azam Khan has made news as much for allegations of land grabbing made against him as he has for his scandalous remarks. During campaigning for Lok Sabha election 2019, he took several distasteful digs against BJP candidate Jaya Prada. He was also temporarily banned from campaigning for these remarks.

The FIRs against him may only inflame political tensions. The allegations of land grabbing have been termed as a conspiracy by Azam Khan who added that it was a bid to defame him. He has said that putting his name in the list of 'land mafias' was done without preliminary inquiries and the FIRs against him were false. "My name was put up on the portal just on the basis of FIRs without conducting any preliminary inquiries. Most of the FIRs were registered within hours and this shows how the law was misused for political vendetta," he said earlier this week.