Senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan has been booked for allegedly making insulting remarks against women during an election meeting for the December 5 Rampur Sadar assembly bypoll, police said on Friday.
Circle Officer (City) Anuj Chowdhary said Khan and the SP's bypoll candidate Asim Raja were addressing the meeting on November 29 during which Khan allegedly made a comment that agitated some women.
The women reached the Ganj police station on Thursday and gave an audio clip of Khan's statement while Shahnaz Begum complained to the SP leader, according to police.
Begum, in her complaint, quoted Khan as saying in the meeting, "What has happened with you and us today... If I had done this in four governments, then children I swear by your smile, that before being born from the mother's womb, the child would have said ask Azam Khan whether I should come out or not".
She has also alleged that Khan has shamed and humiliated women, police said.
On her complaint, a case under Indian Penal Code sections 294 (b)(utters obscene words in or near any public place), 504 (intentional insult), 505-2 (promoting feelings of enmity, hatred between different communities), 509 (punishment for insulting the modesty of a woman), 153-A(1) (promote enmity based on different classes on grounds of religion, caste or race) has been registered, Chowdhary said.
He added that further investigation will be done and action will be taken based on evidence.
The bypoll was necessitated following Khan's disqualification after a court convicted and awarded him three years imprisonment in a 2019 hate speech case.
