Yogi Govt Stops SP Leader Azam Khan's 'Loktantra Senani' Pension Over Criminal Cases Pending Against Him

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has stopped the Loktantra Senani pension being received by Samajwadi Party MP Mohd Azam Khan.

Khan had been receiving the pension, Rs 20,000 per month, since 2005. He was among the 37 beneficiaries of the pension in Rampur district.

Azam Khan was jailed during the Emergency in 1975 and had been categorized as a 'Loktantra Senani' by the Mulayam Singh government that started the pension scheme.

Additional District Magistrate Jagdamba Prasad Gupta said the pension of Azam Khan was withheld in the district because of the number of criminal cases pending against him.

Azam Khan and his family members had been booked in over 84 criminal cases in 2019. The cases include charges like land grabbing, forgery, book theft, statue theft, goat theft, buffalo theft, power theft and several others.

Azam Khan, his wife Tanzeen Fatima and son Abdullah Azam surrendered in court in February last year and have been in jail ever since.

His wife Tanzeen Fatima was released last month on bail.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)