The Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate from the Sambhal Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, Zia Ur Rehman Barq, was booked on April 29 for allegedly making objectionable comments during his campaign and seeking votes in the name of the “sacrifice” of gangsters-turned-politicians Mohammad Shahabuddin, Mukhtar Ansari and Atiq Ahmed. Other than Zia Ur Rehman, five other unidentified persons have also been named as the accused in the case lodged at Kotwali Police Station.
During a gathering in Sambhal’s Chaman Sarai locality, Zia Ur Rehman Barq, grandson of the late former MP Shafiqur Rehman Barq, allegedly solicited votes by invoking the “Qurbani” or sacrifice of notorious figures such as Mohammad Shahabuddin, Mukhtar Ansari, and Atiq Ahmed.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Sambhal) Shrish Chandra said they are examining the video of Zia Ur Rehman’s speech. A police officer said the accused had been booked under IPC sections 171- C (undue influence at elections), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion and race) and 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant).
In the video, Zia Ur Rehman Barq was purportedly heard saying, “Jo Qurbani. Jo Pareshani BJP key time par hui hai. Wo apko zyada bataney ki zarurat nahi hai. Chahey Azam khan ko jail mai dal kar, unke pure pariwar ko jail mai dal kar kiya gaya hai. Chahe hamare Sahabuddin Sahab ho, Atiq Ahmed Sahab ho, Mukhtar Ansari sahab ho, jo unke saath hua hai, who koi bhul nahi sakta. Meri guzarish hai aap sab logon se, kasam hai aap logon ko, ki unki Qurbani ko zaya mat hone dein. Is Bharatiya Janata Party ka supda saaf ho kar rahega. [There is no need to remind you of the sacrifices and challenges faced during the BJP’s rule. Putting Azam Khan Sahab and his family in jail. No one can forget what happened to Shahabuddin Sahab, Atiq Ahmad Sahab, or Mukhtar Ansari Sahab. I urge everyone to vow not to let their sacrifices be forgotten. The BJP must be defeated in the elections].”
“They [the BJP] are trying to instil fear in us by displaying bulldozers but they don’t know that we fear no one except Allah,” he added.
The police asserted that Zia Ur Rehman’s remarks, which glorified criminals associated with a specific religion, could potentially incite public disorder. It’s worth noting that Atiq Ahmed was fatally shot in police custody in Prayagraj last year, while Mukhtar Ansari passed away due to cardiac arrest in a Banda hospital just last month. Meanwhile, former Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Azam Khan currently resides in Sitapur jail following convictions in multiple cases. Responding to the charges against him, Zia Ur Rehman Barq stated, “When BJP flouts regulations, no action is taken, but when I deliver a speech, a case is filed. We won’t forget this biased treatment… Our time will come too.”
Sambhal is among the ten seats in Uttar Pradesh going to polls in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 on May 7.
Zia Ur Rehman Barq’s grandfather, Shafiqur Rehman Barq, contested the 2019 general election from the Sambhal constituency on an SP ticket. He secured 658,006 votes, which accounted for 55.58 per cent of the total votes cast. His closest rival was the BJP’s Parameshvar Lal Saini, who received 483,180 votes, constituting 40.82 per cent of the total votes polled.
