As Azam Khan stepped out of Sitapur jail a little after 12 pm on Tuesday, a loud cheer went up. Wearing an impassive look, the veteran Samajwadi Party (SP) leader walked quietly towards a waiting vehicle even as party leaders and workers shouted slogans hailing his release after almost two years in prison.
Azam, who was welcomed by his son Abdullah and Moradabad MP Ruchi Veera, among others, briefly stopped to address the media on speculation about his political future. “In jail, there was no scope to meet anyone or even make phone calls, so I remained completely cut off. I have been out of touch for nearly five years. I had no idea what was happening in the outside world,” he said, adding, “Revenge is sought only when one has wronged others. I have treated even my adversaries with respect and, during my time in government, never acted unjustly, not even with the stroke of my pen.”
About 250 km away in Rampur, anticipation increased about the impending return of the man who once was synonymous with the town, but whose influence has considerably waned in recent years, battered by legal troubles.
“Kab tak aa jayenge (when will he come)?” people asked each other in Khan’s Mumtaz Park neighbourhood, waiting for the 10-time Rampur Sadar MLA and former Uttar Pradesh minister whose writ ran large in this part of Uttar Pradesh at one point in time. Some called the relief for him a small act of mercy for a man who did a lot for the area, building schools, universities, hospitals, and roads, even though he stands accused of illegally grabbing land for some of those very projects.
Vishal Saini, 47, who runs a dhaba in the Bilaspur Gate area of the town, said it was high time Azam was let out. “Keeping his age in mind and humanity, he should be released. There is no doubt. I have sympathy for him and his family. They are going through a difficult time.”
The SP’s most visible Muslim face, Azam’s legal troubles began with a hate speech case before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It was one of the first cases initiated against him. At one point, he faced 81 cases, with the charges ranging from land grabbing and cheating to criminal trespass and hate speech. Multiple cases were also registered against his wife Tanzeen Fatima and Abdullah.
A large number of supporters arrive at the Sitapur jail on Tuesday to welcome SP leader Azam Khan, who was released on bail. (Express photo by Gajendra Yadav)
In Mumtaz Park, Mohammad Shoaib, busy working in his small zardozi warehouse, said had Azam joined the BJP, he wouldn’t have spent so many years in jail. “This is the cost of being the tallest Muslim leader of the SP. He has lost so much time in prison, but now that he is coming back, we will celebrate today,” he said, before heading off to the local mosque for afternoon prayers.
By late afternoon, a crowd started building up near Azam’s home, a fair share of them youngsters. Finally around 6 pm, the SP leader’s convoy arrived to shouts of “Azam Khan zindabad” and “Dekho dekho kaun aya, sher aya, sher aya (look who has arrived, it is the lion)”. As a melee ensued and flowers and garlands were showered on the cavalcade, Abdullah stepped out to manage the crowd and ensure his father could enter the house.
‘Not acquittal’
While the veteran leader has got a reprieve from the courts, his BJP rival and Rampur Sadar MLA Akash Saxena pointed out that it was not an acquittal. “He has only got bail… He will continue to be punished for what he has done against the people of Rampur. The fight for the rights of Dalits, Muslims, and OBCs, and against Azam’s misdeeds, will continue,” he told The Indian Express.
Shafeek Ansari, the MLA from Suar that was Abdullah’s seat before he was disqualified, said he respected the court’s decision to grant Azam bail, but, like Saxena, pointed out it was not an acquittal.
But despite the electoral setbacks, legal challenges, and dwindling influence, for people such as 60-year-old Noor Ahmad, a farmer who was in the crowd that welcomed back Azam, the SP leader “built Rampur”, and remains relevant. “If you look around Rampur, you will see a stamp of Azam Khan on every development work. Projects such as our district hospital, Gandhi Samadhi, the highway to Rampur, the sewage system … It was all done when Azam was minister,” he said.
Now back home, the 77-year-old former minister is planning to hold closed-door meetings in the next few days to decide his next steps. “He will hold meetings with those he considers loyal supporters,” said a source.
Incidentally, while in jail, the veteran leader had released a letter last year criticising the INDIA bloc, of which the SP is a major part, for “overlooking the issues of Rampur” and questioning its stance on Muslim leadership. This had given rise to speculation about his differences with the party leadership.Asked why no “big leader” accompanied him back home, Azam told reporters Thursday, “I am not a big leader. If I were one, a big leader would have come. Big leaders accompany big leaders, and small ones escort small leaders.”
However, the Opposition party looked to sidestep the rumours, with party president Akhilesh Yadav welcoming Azam’s release and promising that the “fake” cases against him would be withdrawn once the SP returned to power.
