Locals who have registered FIRs against Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan in connection with land encroachment cases in Rampur district met Governor Ram Naik on Sunday and demanded action against Khan.
The total number of FIRs, as per the police, against Khan, now stands at 26 in cases relating to land grab. The police said the complaints against him were verified and found to be genuine.
According to the complaints, the farmers' lands were illegally occupied through unscrupulous means with the help of a former Circle Officer.
The Uttar Pradesh government put the parliamentarian's name on the government's anti-land mafia portal earlier this week. "It means the cases will be directly monitored by the government and legal action will be taken," Rampur District Magistrate Aunjaneya Kumar had said.
"Azam Khan used to torture farmers and locals in Rampur, and used to keep them in police custody if they didn't agree to give their land to him. There are 26 farmers out of which four farmers are present with us here. They met Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik today and shared their stories with him and demanded justice... We want Azam Khan to be jailed. Ram Naik has assured us that he will soon write a letter to the state government regarding the same," said a local who has registered an FIR against Khan.
Another complainant said, "We were forced by Azam Khan to give away our land when the Samajwadi Party was in power. The Uttar Pradesh Governor has assured us that we will get justice and he will write to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath regarding the same."
However, Khan's wife Tanzeem Fatima dismissed the allegations as "false and unsubstantial."
"A terror like situation is being spread in Rampur by the state government, administration and police. People in Rampur cannot sleep peacefully in night as they are being mistreated in various manners. There is no rule of law here. The only crime of these people is that they voted for Azam Khan while going against the state government," Fatima said.
"The state government only cares about maligning the image of Azam Khan. I and my family feel threatened by the police and administration... All the allegations on Azam Khan are completely false and unsubstantial. All the people who have sold their land have got payment through cheque. All the properties were bought in 2006 in the name of the trust and not Azam Khan. People here didn't want to file cases (against Azam Khan). The police and administration have forced them and lured them to do so," she added.
( With inputs from ANI )