On 22nd January 2024, the idol of Ram Lalla was consecrated at his Janmabhoomi (birthplace) in Ayodhya according to Hindu rituals. For over a month, the OpIndia team has been informing people about numerous anonymous devotees who sacrificed their lives in the struggle for the Ram Mandir for five centuries. Meanwhile, in our ground reports, several Ram devotees mentioned the names of a few villains in the Ram Mandir movement, with Munnan Khan being one of them.
Munnan Khan served as MP from Balrampur and was close to Former UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav. It is alleged that Khan carried out the massacre of karsevaks in Ayodhya in 1990. As per the allegations, Khan’s henchmen killed Ram devotees while donning Police uniforms. However, they were not police personnel but rather Khan’s private militia. Since his demise, his son Qasim Khan has allegedly continued his father’s criminal legacy. Our investigation has revealed that not only streets, villages, and a competition are named after Munnan Khan but also his name is mentioned in government records.
Munnan Khan intersection on the PWD board
In Gonda, there is a crossroad named after Munnan Khan on the outskirts of the city. Pertinent to note that this intersection is on the Ayodhya road, where Munnan Khan allegedly carried out the massacre of kar sevaks. On this road, there are two PWD boards. One large board is placed in the middle of the Ayodha to Gonda-Tiraha road, while the other serves as a directional indicator. On both these boards installed by PWD, the name of the intersection has been written as Munnan Khan intersection.
Most of the shops at this intersection belong to the Muslim community. The name ‘Munnan Khan Chowk‘ is written on the boards of all those shops. Even the location search on Google Maps shows this place named ‘Munnan Khan Chowk’.
Munnan Khan’s house and his son’s office both fall on this intersection
On reaching the Munnan Khan Chowk, the OpIndia team found that there is a house belonging to Munnan Khan. This is where Khan used to stay during his political heyday. The house is built on a very large plot. Adjacent to the boundary, there is a bypass road leading to Bahraich district. Outside, there is a stone slab that has Munnan Khan and his father’s name inscribed on it. There is a large boundary around the house, outside of which several vehicles were parked.
His son Mohammad Asim Khan has opened his office on the road that leads towards roadways. There are tyre puncture shops etc. around it.
There is a Mazar adjacent to the road near the intersection
There is a green-coloured shrine visible just around 100 metres away on the road that goes from Munnan Khan Chowk to Bahraich. The tomb is made of concrete and it appears to have been recently painted. There are incense sticks and bedspreads on it as well. Because of the tomb, the road has a narrow passage which often causes traffic jams and other issues here.
M.K. Petrol Pump named after Munnan Khan, customers allege misbehaviour
At the Munnan Khan Chowk, there is an MK petrol pump. Here, MK stands for Munnan Khan. Its full name is MK Filling Point. The management and ownership of this petrol pump is with another son of Munnan Khan, Salahuddin Khan. Bharat Petroleum awarded Salahuddin the dealership of the petrol pump in 2019.
On 18th March 2022, a customer named MSSM complained that the petrol pump provided low-quality fuel and misbehaved with customers. This complaint is mentioned in the review section of the website, Indiapl.com.
The customer alleged that the petrol pump employees misbehave with the customers when they are asked for the slip after filling the oil. The complainant also advised people to go to other petrol pumps for fuel. Only one star out of 5 has been given in the review of this petrol pump.
Police records also show the intersection as Munnan Khan Chowk
Apart from the Public Works Department (PWD), the UP Police also records this intersection under the name of Munnan Khan. The police’s District Crime Record Bureau (DCRB) has registered this intersection under the name of Munnan Khan.
There is also a village in the name of Munnan Khan
In the Katra Bazar Thana area of Gonda, there is also a village known as Munnan Khan Purwa. This name has been officially recorded along with the Google Maps location on the website onefivenine.com. The original name of this place is Mohan Tepara village. The pin code here is 271126.
The distance of this Purwa (hamlet) from Gonda city is approximately 25 kilometers. It is important to note here that Munnan Khan started his political career as an MLA from this very Katra constituency. Even today, all the members of his family reside in the Hardhar Mau area of Katra.
Cricket tournaments are held every year in memory of Munnan Khan
Sports competitions are organised in memory of Munnan Khan in the Katra Bazar of Gonda district. These competitions include the Munnan Khan Cricket Tournament. Not only Gonda, but teams from surrounding districts also participate in the tournament. Stage and microphones are set up, and it attracts villagers of surrounding areas as spectators.
During this time, large hoardings of the Samajwadi Party are placed around the field. Many of these hoardings have posters of Akhilesh Yadav with text written in the Urdu language which is translated into Hindi as ‘Khair Maqadam Istaqbal’ or ‘Welcome’ in English. Apart from SP, the current family members of Munnan Khan also feature in these banners.
Additionally, Munnan Khan’s son Qasim Khan runs a school in Haldhar Mau of Katra. Its name is Unity Public School. Apart from Munnan Khan and his family, his relatives also have many lands in Gonda city. The district administration also conducted searches for all those lands after Qasim Khan was charged with the Gangster Act in 2017. The police had also taken action on Nazul’s land citing illegal construction.
