"I was accused of theft, but punishment was for robbery": SP's Azam Khan

Rampur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 8 (ANI): Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, who is out on bail after spending twenty-three months in Sitapur jail, stated on Wednesday that the difference between the Emergency and the undeclared emergency is that now even brutality is no longer alive.
He claimed that he was accused of theft, but the punishment he received was for robbery.
Speaking to the media, Khan, one of the party's founding members, said, "It is true that among the founding members, I am the only one alive... This is the third episode of my life. First, the Emergency from 1975 to 1977. Then, 27 months, and then 23 months. These 27 and 23 months are so heavy that I don't remember any wounds or memories of the Emergency."
He further criticised the alleged undeclared emergency under the BJP rule and said, "Humanity was alive at that time, but now, even brutality is not alive. This is the difference between that Emergency and this undeclared Emergency. Now, you can imagine the level of those who filed these cases and those who are doing it...I was accused of theft, but the punishment was for robbery..."
Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former Lok Sabha member Azam Khan was released from Sitapur jail in Uttar Pradesh, where he had been lodged for nearly 23 months. He was jailed in connection with the Quality Bar land encroachment case.
The Allahabad High Court granted bail to former UP Minister Mohammad Azam Khan in the Quality Bar land case.
Commenting on his meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, party leader Azam Khan said, "What was discussed in the meeting is a matter between us, which we cannot make public... I have a half-century-old relationship with that family."
Earlier in the day, Samajwadi Party leader and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav visited the residence of SP leader and former Lok Sabha member Azam Khan on Wednesday after his release from Sitapur jail in Uttar Pradesh, where he was lodged for nearly 23 months. He was jailed in connection with the Quality Bar land encroachment case.
Posting on his X about the meeting, Akhilesh Yadav wrote, "What can one say of that tale of the meeting, where only emotions spoke in silence."
"I am here to meet him, as I was unable to meet him in jail. I inquired about his health and well-being. Honourable Azam Khan is a very senior leader of the party. His roots are very deep in the party, and his guidance has always been with us. This is a big fight, and we will fight for justice and for his well-being," he added.
He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of registering false cases against Azam Khan and his family.
"I don't know which world record the BJP is trying to make in the country's history and in political history for registering false cases against Azan Khan's family. He has the highest number of cases. There is a false allegation against him, his wife, his son, and other family members. This government has registered the highest number of false cases against all of them," he said. (ANI)