Why is Mohammad Azam Khan staying away from Rampur? The Samajwadi Party member of parliament has not visited his home town and constituency Rampur after he was declared a “land mafia” by the district administration and his name was uploaded in the Bhu-mafia portal. This is rather unusual as Khan would remain in Rampur on weekends even when he was a minister in the UP cabinet and stayed in Lucknow.

Sources close to Azam Khan said the MP was apprehensive of his arrest in multiple cases of land-grabbing, book theft, money laundering and lion statue theft that have been registered against him in the past one month. Superintendent of Police of Rampur, Ajay Pal Sharma, said the SP MP’s arrest was possible in the sections under which the cases had been registered against him.

“We will arrest him only when investigations confirm his involvement in the cases,” he said. Rampur’s District Magistrate Aunjaneya Kumar Singh said that there was no restriction on Azam Khan visiting Rampur. 

“But he has not come to Rampur ever since cases have been registered against him,” he added.

Congress Minority Cell Vice President Faisal Khan said: “Azam Khan is facing various charges of forgery and theft and he knows he will be arrested if he comes here. That is the reason he is keeping away from Rampur.” 

Bharatiya Janata Party state spokesman Dr Chandra Mohan said the Yogi Adityanath government was taking stern action against land mafia and Azam Khan had already been declared one. 

“The UP government will not compromise on any issue related to law and order,” he said.

A source close to Azam Khan, however, said that the MP’s wife, Tanzeem Fatima, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, was unwell and was undergoing treatment in Delhi. 

“Azam Khan is with her in Delhi and will come to Rampur soon,” he said.

Azam Khan has been in the eye of storm after 26 cases of land-grabbing were registered against him by farmers, who alleged, that he usurped their land for Jauhar University in Rampur. 

The police have also charged Khan with the theft of about 2,000 books from the Rampur’s ancient Madarsa Aaliya. The books were recovered from the Jauhar University in a recent raid. Two lion statues, reportedly stolen from Rampur Club, were also found in the university.