Former paediatrician from Gorakhpur, Kafeel Khan, on December 4 said all recent charges levelled against him in relation to a book were false as the said book had been in the public domain for almost two years. Dr. Khan was named in a First Information Report (FIR) registered last week in Lucknow, along with five unidentified people, for allegedly inciting people against the government and creating hatred in society through the book. He added that his entire family was frightened by what he described as a new round of intimidation tactics and targeting.
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“The book has already been in the market for almost two years, and has been published in six languages —English, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Marathi, and Malayalam. It is ridiculous and frightening at the same time as I am booked on such charges in Uttar Pradesh at a time when I am staying away from the State since my release from the Mathura jail in September 2020,” Dr. Khan told The Hindu from Chennai.
“My elderly mother, wife and the entire family are feeling scared after hearing of the new case registered against me, which is a new round of intimidation tactics,” he said.
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A former lecturer at the Department of Paediatrics, Baba Raghav Das Medical College and Hospital (BRDMCH) in Gorakhpur, Dr. Khan rose to the limelight in 2017, when he tried to arrange oxygen for a shortfall in supply at the BRDMCH, but was accused of dereliction of duty and arrested. In 2021, his service was terminated.
Dr. Khan said the recently released Bollywood film Jawan, which narrates several stories, including one of a doctor who is arrested despite his efforts to save children from dying due to lack of oxygen, could be the reason behind the new charges. “The movie resembles the BRDMCH episode. The [State’s] actions cannot be coincidence,” he said.
A Lucknow resident, Manish Shukla, on Friday lodged a complaint at the Krishna Nagar Police Station that five unknown people had been discussing Dr. Khan’s book, and removing the government “at any cost” and creating division in society. “A case is registered at Krishna Nagar Police Station and investigation is going on. We will take appropriate action as per the law,” Vinay Kumar Dwivedi, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Krishna Nagar, told The Hindu.
Manish Shukla, who submitted the complaint against Mr. Khan and other unknown people, told The Hindu that he wants action against “anti-social elements”. “I want action against such people, anti-social elements who are a blot for the society. What I saw, I reported in my complaint to the police. I contacted the Krishna Nagar Police Station today. They told me investigation is ongoing over the registered FIR,” Mr. Shukla said.
The case has been registered under Sections 295-A (malicious acts to outrage religious feelings), 153-B (assertions prejudicial to national integration), 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 471 (using forged as genuine), 504 (insult to provoke breach of peace), 505 (statements causing mischief), 467 (forgery to make or transfer any valuable security, or to receive money) and 468 (forgery for cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).