After Azam’s conviction in hate speech case: Police upgrade security of former Rampur DM

Azam Khan is presently out on bail.

Aunjaneya Singh, who took charge asthe Moradabad divisional commissioner on March 6 this year, is said to be instrumental behind the cases lodged against Khan. He was the Rampur district magistrate from February 2019 to March 2021.

Moradabad Circle Officer Anoop Singh said, “We have upgraded security of the Moradabad divisional commissioner after an assessment. Security has been upgraded at the residence as well as the office of the officer.”

The security personnel posted at office and residence of the divisional commissioner earlier were not armed, he added. “We have now included armed policemen in the security at both places. We have also put up a metal detector at his office.”

Though Anoop Singh did not divulge the exact number of policemen deployed in the security, he admitted that the number was almost doubled.

Since the BJP came to power in the state in 2017, as many as 83 cases were registered against Azam Khan on various charges, including land grabbing, cheating and criminal trespass. Azam’s wife Tanzeen Fatima and son Abdullah Azam Khan were also booked in some of the cases. All three are currently out on bail. In May this year, Azam, who was in prison for the last two years, walked out of the Sitapur district jail after the Supreme Court granted him bail in a land-grabbing case.

The case in which Azam was convicted last week was lodged on April 9, 2019. He was booked for allegedly using objectionable language against Aunjaneya, who was also then election returning officer, and others.

The case was lodged for allegedly using foul language against people holding constitutional posts, threatening them, and trying to trigger a riot in a speech made during the campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in the Milak assembly constituency on April 7 that year.

Khan had contested from the Rampur Lok Sabha seat and defeated his nearest rival Jaya Prada of the BJP.