UP govt committing atrocity: Azam Khan on raids at Jauhar University

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan on Monday said the state government is committing an "atrocity" to win the upcoming by-elections in the state, in reference to the raids conducted at Mohammad Ali Jauhar University.

Land grab allegations were levelled at the Rampur lawmaker, with authorities claiming that the gate of the varsity is allegedly built on government land.

There were protests by students of the university on August 5 after a team of Uttar Pradesh Medical Education and Training officials visited the university for inspection and found it closed, after which officials pasted a notice on the university wall.

The five officials visited the university for inspection as a pre-requisite condition to issue a no-objection certificate for a medical college here.

Speaking to media today, Khan said, "This is only done to win the upcoming Vidhan Sabha by-elections. They (Uttar Pradesh government) want to destroy the University."

"Will they be able to win the by-elections like this? Were they able to defeat me in the Lok Sabha elections?" he asked.

"This is an atrocity on us by the state government. There are no cases against me, all cases are against the university. The government wants to rule us and not educate us," he claimed.

"Trust has bought every inch of land. Trust has purchased hundreds of acres of land, why will it do corruption to buy this small piece of land," said Khan when asked about the allegations against him of land grab to build the University.

On being asked about the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the SP lawmaker said, "The government has a majority and it has the right to take any decision."

The Centre last week revoked Article 370 that conferred special status to Jammu and Kashmir. It also passed a bill bifurcating Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.