Lok Sabha Elections 2019: 13th FIR against SP’s Rampur candidate Azam Khan this poll season

According to an official, while talking to media on Tuesday, Azam Khan tried to instigate people against the police and also incited voters to go and cast their votes even after 6pm.

Senior Samajwadi Party leader and candidate from Rampur, Azam Khan, was on Wednesday booked for allegedly instigating people against the police and inciting them to go to the polling booth after polling hours on Tuesday.

Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate from Rampur, Azam Khan, and his son Adeeb Azam Khan arrive to cast their vote, during the third phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, at a polling station in Rampur, Tuesday, April 23, 2019. (PTI)

This was the 13th FIR against Khan this election season.

The case was registered under Section 126(2) (prohibits election campaign activities through public meetings, processions, etc, and display of election matter by means of television and similar apparatus) of the Representation of Peoples Act and Section 505 (intent to incite, or which is likely to incite, any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community), of the IPC on a complaint by sub-divisional magistrate (Sadar) Prem Prakash Tiwari in the Civil Lines police station.

“While talking to media persons on Tuesday, he (Khan) tried to instigate people against the police and also incited voters to go and cast their votes even after 6pm. This is clearly a violation of the directions of the Election Commission and also violation of model code of conduct. So, an FIR has been registered against him,” said Prem Prakash Tiwari, SDM (Sadar).

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Khan alleged that the police and the administration targeted Muslim-dominated areas on polling day and threatened people not to vote.

“They (Muslim voters) were forced to remain indoors and their vehicles were also targeted. Due to fear, about two lakh Muslim voters did not come out for voting,” alleged Khan in a press conference.

The police were carrying out atrocities (on Muslim voters) for the past 15 days and on Tuesday, they intensified it.

“Cops were patrolling the bylanes of Muslim localities on motorcycles, threatening people and misbehaving with women. They also thrashed them. Even administrative officers visited Muslim dominated booths and stopped people from casting votes,” he alleged.

“We will be filing a formal complaint with the Election Commission against the district magistrate, SSP and other police and administrative officials,” added Khan.