An FIR has been filed in Hazratganj Police station in Lucknow against Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan for his 2016 remark where without naming Ambedkar, he had said, “The statue (of Ambedkar), pointing its finger into distance, seems to say that not only does it own the plot of land on which it stands, but also the one towards which it points.”
Speaking to OpIndia, Hazratganj SHO Radharaman Singh confirmed the FIR and said that it is a non-cognisable offence and the matter will be investigated. FIR has been filed by one Amar Nath Prajapati, Ambedkar Mahasabha general secretary, who found the statement objectionable. An FIR has been filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 500 (defamation) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) against Khan.
This is not the first time Azam Khan has been in trouble. In July this year, sedition charges were filed against him for his anti-Army remarks. Earlier, Khan waded into another controversy with his statement that appeared to suggest that Indian soldiers have been indulging in rape. The SP leader, along with his son, Abdulla Azam were again in deep waters after the Uttar Pradesh police filed a case of forgery against them.