Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), Jan 31
It has taken just three and a half years for this paediatrician to turn into a history-sheeter.
A suspended paediatrician, seeking his reinstatement at the BRD Medical College, Dr Kafeel Khan has now been declared a history-sheeter which will ensure that he remains under police surveillance.
In a video message on Saturday, Khan said, "The situation in UP is such that no surveillance is being done on criminals and a history sheet is being opened against those, including me, who are innocent."
Khan alleged that this was "state-sponsored victimization."
According to circle officer, Gorakhpur, Virendra Pratap Singh, Khan's history-sheet has been opened at Rajghat police station. As per Rajghat police station record, the history sheet number is 50-A with five cases against Khan, including three in Gorakhpur and one each in Delhi and Aligarh.
Khan said, "Give me two security guards who will keep surveillance on me round-the-clock so that I can be saved from getting framed in false cases. Since I have been freed from (jail under) the NSA (National Security Act), I am regularly writing to them (government) every month to return me my job so that I can serve children and the country as a doctor."
Khan, it may be recalled, was arrested along with other doctors and staff members, after several children died due to lack of oxygen at the BRD Medical College and Hospital in August 2017. However, he was later cleared of all charges in a departmental inquiry.
But after getting bail in April 2018, Dr Khan was again arrested in September that year for allegedly creating nuisance at the district hospital in Bahraich.
His family claimed he had gone there after receiving information that children had died due to an unknown disease while hospital authorities alleged that he was questioning families of patients without permission.
Days after he received bail, he was again arrested, along with his brother Adeel, by the Gorakhpur police for allegedly opening a bank account using fake documents. The brothers later got bail.
In January 29 last year, Khan was arrested from the Mumbai airport for allegedly making a provocative speech at the Aligarh Muslim University in December 2019 during a students' protest against the citizenship law.
A case was filed on various charges, including promoting enmity between two groups, and Dr Khan was lodged in Mathura jail. The Aligarh district administration invoked the NSA against him on February 13.
Months later, the Allahabad High Court set him free in a verdict on September 1, 2020, calling his detention "not sustainable in the eye of law". The court said the invocation of NSA was based on a "selective reading and selective mention of few phrases from the speech ignoring its true intent".
However, the UP government moved a special leave petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the judgment but a bench led by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde refused to interfere, saying that "it seems to be a good order".
The doctor, along with his family, has shifted to Jaipur in Rajasthan soon after his release. His two brothers – Adeel Ahmed and Kashif Jameel – have also left Gorakhpur along with their families and shifted to Jaipur.
His brother, Adeel Ahmad, said, "We were forced to leave Gorakhpur because the scenario was getting worse day-by-day.
My brother Kashif Jameel was attacked and suffered bullet injuries. Police were framing false cases against me and younger brother Kafeel. When Kafeel came out of jail, we got information that police were planning to invoke another case against him. We all then decided to leave UP at the earliest. We are staying in a rented accommodation, while surviving on savings and selling our lands."
Adeel further said, "There are four cases pending against Kafeel. Two other cases, one each in Gorakhpur and Delhi, have been disposed of because of false allegations."
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