The Rampur district administration has registered another FIR against Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Azam Khan in the land grab case and also for obstructing officials from conducting a survey at the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University.
The local administrative officials and revenue department team reached the university after they were ordered to conduct an enquiry by the state government. Authorities say that a part of a river land falls within the university.
Allegedly the staff of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University prevented a team of revenue department officials from entering the campus and had manhandled them. The team visited the campus on May 17 and were prevented from entering the area as there were a gate and an 8 feet wall built to prevent the public from accessing the land.
On the same day, the team came back later along with a police force and conducted the survey. From the survey, it was found that the university has usurped five hectares of land that belongs to the public.
The Rampur district magistrate had said the university was informed in advance about the administration’s move to conduct the survey. However, university officials claimed that they denied entry due to the ongoing examinations of the students.
An FIR was registered at the Azimnagar police station after complaints were received from the officials. The Rampur SP Shiv Hari Meena said that the newly elected Rampur MP and university officials prevented the officials from entering. He said, “Azam Khan, R A Qureishi (Registrar of the university), Aale Hasan (Security officer of the university) have been booked under IPC section 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and Section 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984”.
Azam Khan has however denied the allegations and sought to play the victim card. He claims to have been targeted for running a school for the minority community and Dalit students. He alleged that the local authorities were intentionally trying to harass the students and university officials.
Azam Khan is the Chancellor of the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh. They were allegations that about Rs 3000 crores government fund was used for the construction of the university. The allegations of having grabbed public land forcibly for the construction of the university has been reported in 2017.
He is also known for his controversial statements in the past including making objectionable statements against Ambedkar and making sexist remarks against Jaya Prada.