Police raid Urdu poet Munawwar Rana's residence

Police raided renowned Urdu poet Munawwar Rana's residence late at night on Thursday. Rana accused police of entering the house and insulting him.

Rae Bareli: Police raided renowned Urdu poet Munawwar Rana's residence late at night on Thursday. Rana accused police of entering the house and insulting him. On June 28, unidentified bike-borne attackers had opened fire at Rana's son Tabrez near a petrol pump, according to police. They fired two shots and then fled from the spot. The bullets hit Tabrez's SUV. However, he managed to escape unhurt in the incident.

The police have recorded the statement of Tabrez Alam and launched a probe into the incident. Tabrez, a land dealer, told police that he has no enmity with anyone. The police are scanning the CCTV footage of the area to identify the attackers. Munawwar Rana belongs to Rae Bareli but he has been staying in Lucknow for the past several years.

However, speaking to ETV Bharat over the matter, Munawwar Rana refuted the allegations made on him by his brother and said that the police should investigate the matter and they should also see the characters of his brothers who have made allegations. "Let me tell you that my brothers used to make bombs in Kolkata but I never said this to anyone. They also want me to die soon so that they can confiscate all the properties. They have already captured my house as well as lands...where should I go now? Where should my children go?" he said. On being asked that if the shootout staged by his son Tabrez himself, Rana said, "If this is the case then the police should investigate the matter. If he has done this then he is a fool."

Earlier, Munawwar's brother Shakeel Rana had alleged that Tabrez has the greed for ancestral properties to fulfil his dreams of living a lavish life. "He even sold an ancestral land which was registered on my name and when we revolted, he staged the shootout on himself and accused us of doing so. His intention was to send us to jail and then confiscate the properties. He has turned into a land-mafia who is trying to falsely implicate all his uncles so that he can grab the ancestral properties," he alleged.

The police spokesperson said that the attack could be a result of a property dispute. Munawwar Rana's daughter and Samajwadi Party national spokesperson Sumaiya Rana said that her brother Tabrez Rana was attacked but the police have not yet been able to catch the attackers. "Policemen forcibly entered our house last night and are harassing us," she said.