After 3-day raid, I-T dept suspects Rs 800 crore tax evasion by SP leader Azam Khan, associates
Rampur (UP)/New Delhi (PTI): The Income Tax department suspected a tax evasion of more than Rs 800 crore by senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan after it conducted raids on him and people associated with him for three days, official sources said on Friday.
Income tax sleuths who reached Khan's residence on Jail Road in Rampur in Uttar Pradesh at 7 am on Wednesday completed their search Friday evening.
After the officials left his residence around 7 pm on Friday, Khan came out and said, "It was a raid of I-T department. They stayed here for three days. They conducted searches and asked questions." Khan refused to answer further questions.
On September 13, the Income Tax department conducted raids at more than 30 premises in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh as part of a tax evasion probe against Khan.
Official sources said the department has conducted raids in Rampur, Saharanpur, Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh apart from some premises in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
In Ghaziabad, the Income Tax department raided a residence in Rajnagar Colony on Wednesday. The house belongs to Ekta Kaushik, said to be close to Khan's family.
The I-T probe is related to some trusts run by Khan and his family members, the sources said.
The scope of investigation by the I-T department intensified with sleuths reaching the Public Works Department and district panchayat office besides Muhammad Ali Jauhar University headed by Khan, the officials said.
They said the government expenditure files are being scrutinized as over Rs 800 crore tax evasion was suspected by the politician.
The raids drew sharp reaction from the Samajwadi Party which vowed support to Khan and accused the BJP government of "dictatorship" and "misusing central agencies".
"Azam Khan saheb is the voice of truth. He laid the foundation for a better future for children and built a university for education," the party said in a post on X in Hindi following the raids on Wednesday.
"Khan has always fought against communal forces. We all stand united with his voice," it said.
Countering the allegations about misuse of central agencies, BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had said the central agencies were well within their rights to take action to make "Bharat corruption-free".
Last year, a court had convicted Khan in a hate speech case registered over his remark made at a public meeting in Khatanagaria village of the Milak Kotwali area in 2019.
He was sentenced to three years of imprisonment, following which he was disqualified as an MLA from Rampur. Later, he was acquitted by a higher court, but his disqualification was not revoked on account of his conviction in a different case.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
