Lucknow, Sep 23 (IANS) Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party founder Swami Prasad Maurya on Tuesday reacted to the release of senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former Uttar Pradesh Minister Mohammad Azam Khan, who walked out of Sitapur Jail after nearly 23 months behind bars.

Speaking to IANS, Swami Prasad Maurya said, “The Samajwadi Party never stood by him. It is unfortunate and deeply saddening that the very party for which Azam Khan endured immense suffering, the party he was known for and respected within, did not support him in his hour of need.”

He further said, “There is no doubt that the BJP, with malicious intent, kept him imprisoned for a long time on flimsy charges like goat theft and chicken theft. Despite his long-standing political career, having been elected to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly nearly ten times, and also having served in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the BJP’s treatment of him reflects a petty mindset and is highly condemnable.”

Responding to speculation about Khan’s next political move, Maurya said, “Instead of speculating, we should wait to hear from Azam Khan himself. He has just been released, and already the political rumours have begun. He has had a long and impactful career and will make his own decisions after due consideration.”

Meanwhile earlier, Azam Khan’s release from Sitapur jail was delayed by a few hours. He was to be released at 8.00 A.M; however, he forgot to pay the fine of Rs 8,000 in two cases.

His lawyer, Sadnam Singh, paid the fine in court, after which the verification was carried out. Following this, he was released.

Speaking to reporters, Sadnam had said, “The fine imposed on Azam Khan has now been cleared. I took the receipt of the fine inside and met the jailer.”

In view of his release, prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been enforced in Sitapur city.

Police made announcements through loudspeakers, warning people against assembling near the jail premises.

Despite the restrictions, the number of SP workers, leaders, and supporters waiting outside the jail grew by the hour. Authorities dispersed the crowd, and several vehicles in the area were fined.

Earlier, Sitapur Circle Officer Vinayak Bhosle, speaking to reporters, said, “Everyone knows that the roads in the city are narrow and due to Navratri, there is a lot of crowd on the streets. No one is allowed to stand without reason here. Section 144 is in force, under which we are taking action. The crowd is being removed from the roads.”

Preparations to welcome Azam Khan were also made by SP district president Chhatrapal Singh Yadav.

Speaking to IANS, he said, “We have come to welcome him. He is our leader. His arrival will strengthen the party even more.”

Samajwadi Party MLA Anil Kumar Verma, who had also reached Sitapur to welcome the senior leader, added, “After a long time, the legal proceedings have concluded. We thank the court for this.”

Azam Khan was granted bail on September 18 by the Allahabad High Court in the Quality Bar land grab case. The FIR in the matter was lodged at the Civil Lines Police Station in Rampur, following which Khan moved the High Court seeking bail.

On September 10, the Allahabad High Court had also granted him bail in another case linked to the alleged forced eviction of residents from Rampur’s Dungarpur colony.

Prior to that, Khan was acquitted by a special MP-MLA court in a 17-year-old case involving allegations of road blockade and damage to public property.

–IANS

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