SP's Azam Khan says inspector in jail warned of 'encounter'
Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan, who was granted bail by the Supreme Court last week, claimed that an inspector in the Sitapur jail had warned him of his encounter after release. The SP leader had been lodged in jail since 2020 in a case pertaining to the wrongful possession of land. He walked out of jail on Friday.
Why does this story matter?
Azam Khan had been in jail for over two years with his bail application languishing in the Allahabad High Court (HC). He was chosen as the SP contender for Rampur in the 2022 UP Assembly elections. He had then moved the SC seeking interim bail, but the court had refused to intervene. Later, the top court directed the HC to expedite his bail plea.
Inspector in jail allegedly threatened Khan
The Rampur MLA, who took oath as a member of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Monday, told reporters that he wasn't sure where he was headed because an inspector in the jail had threatened him after he was granted bail. Khan said that the inspector asked him to "go underground" as "you have several cases against you, you can be killed in an encounter."
'I will think why I became a vessel of hatred'
Notably, on the day of his release, prominent SP leaders were conspicuous by their absence. On being asked why the SP didn't raise any concern for him, Khan said, "There must have been some compulsions (for the SP). I regret that no change could come." "I will think about where I missed out in my loyalty...that I became a vessel of hatred," Khan said.
Akhilesh Yadav had tweeted after Khan's release
SP leader won elections while in jail
Khan is a popular Muslim face of the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP. He faced a slew of charges after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017. In spite of being behind bars, Khan was able to win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2022 state Assembly polls from Rampur.
81 cases against Khan since BJP assumed power in UP
Reportedly, 81 cases—including land grabbing, cheating, and criminal trespass—were filed against Khan at various police stations in Rampur since 2017. His wife Tanzeen Fatima and son Abdullah were also indicted in many instances. While Fatima got bail in December 2020, Abdullah was released in January.
