A Rampur court on Saturday convicted Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan in a hate speech case registered against him back in 2019. The incident occurred during campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment.
A video of Khan's speech had gone viral based on which a complaint was filed by Anil Kumar Chauhan, district's assistant development officer, Rampur.
It was alleged that Khan made derogatory remarks against the then Rampur district magistrate Aunjaneya Kumar Singh and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath when he contested the elections during the alliance between the Akhilesh-led SP and Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), reported Hindustan Times.
It is not the first time Khan is getting convicted over hate speech. In a similar instance, Khan was sentenced to three years in jail, last year, by MP-MLA magistrate court. It had led to his disqualification from the UP assembly.
Later, a sessions court designated to try parliamentarians and legislators in Rampur in May this year overturned the conviction and acquitted Khan in the case.
A bypoll was held in Rampur Sadar sear after his disqualification. BJP's Akash Saxena had defeated Khan's close aide and SP candidate Asim Raja.
Meanwhile, a day after Khan's Y-category security cover was withdrawn by the UP government, he was given "provisional security".
Additional Superintendent of Police (of Rampur) Sansar Singh told PTI that Azam Khan had been given security cover at the district level.
"It was felt at the district level that it is necessary to provide him security, so the Superintendent of Police deployed security and sent a report to the government," he said.
"This security is not a Y-category security cover. Under this arrangement, three gunners will be provided to him," he added.
Khan was a 10-time MLA from Rampur. SP had criticised that withdrawal of Y security cover was “undemocratic”.
SP's UP unit chief Naresh Uttam Patel had on Friday slammed the move claiming there was still threat to Khan's life.
"There is a threat to his life. What can be more unfortunate than this? Today there are BJP leaders, who do not need any security, but they are moving around with Y-category security," Patel had said.
(With PTI inputs)