Kafeel Khan, the doctor who was jailed for eight months in connection with the deaths of around 60 children at a hospital at Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, in August 2017, has said his family was harassed by the UP police while he was in jail. He said was doing his duty by trying to save the lives of children who were dying for lack of oxygen.
He was speaking at a reception organised here on Saturday by the Solidarity Youth Movement and United Against Hate.
Bitter experience
The paediatrician said he had the bitterest of experience under the Yogi Adityanath government in UP and described himself as lucky for having come out alive from jail.
A visibly moved doctor said that many of his family members thought a worse fate would befall him.
“It can happen to anyone in India,” he said, while seeking support from the civil society in Kerala in the fight against fascist tendencies. He said he wanted to set up a 500-bed hospital to treat encephalitis patients where both treatment and medicines would be free.
Dr. Khan said many had come out in support of his dream project. Media critic Sebastian Paul inaugurated the meeting. N.M. Pierson, Left thinker and social activist, and former academic A. Aravindakshan were among those who spoke at the occasion.
Nadheem Khan of United Against Hate claimed that UP had witnessed at least 1,700 police encounters involving petty criminals. UP was going through a ‘bullet raj’ under the present Chief Minister.
A report on these incidents prepared by a team led by Mr. Khan was released during the meeting.
He said there had been 86 cases of public lynching and there was justice only in one case. Ummer Alathur, general secretary of Solidarity Youth Movement, welcomed the gathering.
