Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): A two-member team of the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday interrogated SP leader Azam Khan, who is currently lodged in Sitapur jail, for four and a half hours in connection with a money laundering case. It is learnt that the interrogation of the SP MP will continue till September 24.
Deputy Director of Enforcement Directorate Chandan Poglia and Assistant Director Pankaj Kumar Tripathi reached Sitapur Jail at around 12 noon. Sitapur District Jail Superintendent took both the investigating officers to the Rampur SP MP's special isolation barracks. The officers also shifted Azam's son Abdullah Azam Khan to another barrack prior to the interrogation.
The interrogation was led by investigator Pankaj Kumar Tripathi till around 4.30 pm. After this, the team returned back to Lucknow.
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According to ED officials, Khan has not been in good health and was taking time to reply. Recently, Azam Khan's health had deteriorated and was shifted to Medanta Hospital in Lucknow. He was shifted back to jail after his health improved.
It is alleged that during the construction of Jauhar University in the Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh, the MP had grabbed the land of farmers and illegally occupied government land. Apart from this, he is also accused of having misused government money to build the university.
It is known that the Rampur district administration had taken back over 70.05 hectares of land from Mohammad Ali Jauhar University run by Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar Trust headed by Samajwadi party MP Azam Khan last week.
Also read: UP govt reclaims land of Azam Khan's Jauhar University in Rampur
Established in 2006, the University is run by the Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust. Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan is the president of the trust and the chancellor of the university which had run into trouble over allegations of irregularities and land encroachment. Khan and his son Abdullah, have been active members of the trust.
A charge sheet was also against Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, his wife Dr Tanzeen Fathima and son Abdullah Azam Khan for an alleged case of forging a birth certificate in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur.
