RAMPUR:

A 70-year-old prominent cardiologist in Rampur, who has been embroiled in a bitter land dispute with Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Azam Khan and is known to often criticize the all-powerful Samajwadi Party leader in his scathing Facebook posts, has been booked for the rape of a woman, who has been associated with the party and is a former ward member. Dr Taj Mohammad, who has been booked under IPC’s sections 376 (rape), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (

intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace

) and provisions of the SC/ST Act, met the superintendent of police

on

Tuesday

and sought a fair probe.

told

TOI

, “The doctor will be arrested after the woman is sent for a medical examination. She will also be presented before a magistrate and her statement will be recorded. A fair investigation will be carried out in the matter.”

According to the complainant, she had visited the doctor’s clinic complaining of chest pain. She alleged that the doctor caught her with bad intention and also attempted to rape her. According to her, she ran to safety and later lodged a case. In a written complaint to police, the doctor alleged that the woman barged into his clinic, asked him to stop writing Facebook posts against

Khan and also threatened to assault him with a paper cutter. He is also moving high court for a stay on his arrest.

Later in the day,

Party associate Vicky Raj led a protest to

demanding immediate arrest of the cardiologist.

Mohammad’s family members have also been booked in other cases in the past for taking on

Khan. In January this year, his younger brother

Khan, an advocate at Delhi high court, was booked for “defaming” the minister through his Facebook posts. More recently, Khan made news when he shot off a letter to United Nations secretary-general Ban

against

Khan, alleging that the minister was responsible for “forcibly occupying” their family land for building a flyover. In 2007, the cardiologist’s late father

Khan had filed an FIR against the minister for various criminal

. He had accused Khan of using political clout to change revenue records for the land in question.

Rampur SP Sanjeev TyagiAzamSamajwadicollectorateTajAzamZulfiqarKi-moonAzamHaji Gorayoffences