Lucknow: Samajwadi party national general secretary and former minister Mohammad Azam Khan will retain basic security, said senior police officials in Rampur on Friday.
On Thursday, Azam’s Y-category security was withdrawn by the Uttar Pradesh government.
Senior police officials of Rampur police said that the Y-category security of Azam Khan was removed based on the security audit done in the past by the government.
“Now, the state-level security committee, which is constituted to provide security to ministers, former ministers and VVIPs, will take a call at its meeting on July 18 on what level of security has to be provided to Azam Khan,” said the official.
He also had said that till then, basic security of armed guards has been provided to the former minister.
Sources in the police department added that Azam Khan is a senior politician and most likely will get his security.
Addressing a press conference, SP state president and MLC Naresh Uttam Patel on Friday said the state was targeting Azam Khan because of political vendetta. “First the government lodged false cases against him one after the other. Now, they have withdrawn the security of a national-level political leader who has spent a better part of his life serving the people as an MLA.”
Other than Azam, the escort security provided to BJP member Aparna Yadav has also been withdrawn. Security cover provided to BJP’s former Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Punj has also been withdrawn after no justification for it was found.
The Y-category security of Mukul Upadhyay, brother of former minister Ramveer Upadhyay, has also been withdrawn. He will be given only one gunner for the next six months.
His security has been withdrawn on the orders of the high court. Mukul Upadhyay was given Y-category security on November 7, 2019, on the orders of the state-level security committee.
