Summary:
BAREILLY: Charge sheet was filed on Monday against Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan for making derogatory remarks against security personnel last year. The charge sheet was filed in Rampur after the state government approved it last week. A complaint was filed against Khan in May 2017 by Akash Saxena, son of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shiv Bahadur Saxena, in which he said that the remarks made by the former state minister had affected the morale of army personnel. Another FIR was also registered in Bijnor soon after under sections 124A (sedition), 131 (abetting mutiny, or attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty) and 505 of IPC. In his speech, Khan alleged that female Maoists had cut the private parts of troopers in an attack on the CRPF last April in Sukma, Chhattisgarh.Police had sent Khan’s voice samples along with the CD of the media conference to a lab which confirmed the voice was of Azam Khan.Reacting on the latest development in the incident, Khan told TOI, “I want to thank the government for lodging cases against me and probing them.” He declined to comment further.The case was lodged under section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of IPC.Addressing a meeting of party workers at the SP office in Rampur in May last year, Azam Khan in a reference to attacks on security personnel in Chhattisgarh had made the controversial statement.Saxena had lodged an FIR at Civil Lines police station in Rampur under sections 153A and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the IPC..