Yesterday morning, Allahabad High Court dismissed the NSA charges against Dr. Kafeel Khan and ordered his release. Despite the high court order the District magistrate refused to follow the court order and did not release him until midnight.
After the court verdict, when the jail authorities did not free the doctor for hours, his family had said they would file a contempt petition in the Allahabad High Court.
I would also like to thank UP Special Task Force that brought me from Mumbai to Mathura and not killed in Encounter.- Dr. Kafeel Khan
Dr. Kafeel Khan was working at BRD Medical college when the Gorakhpur oxygen cylinder tragedy happened where more than 1000 infants died due to a shortage of oxygen cylinders in 2017. Dr. Kafeel Khan who had helped arrange oxygen cylinders at his own expense was made the scapegoat for the entire incident. Even after he was cleared of all charges his suspension was not revoked.
He was arrested in January 2020 and charged in NSA in relation to his speech in Aligarh on Citizenship Amendment Act. He was accused of giving inflammatory speeches and arrested by UP Police.
Allahabad High Court in its order declared that Dr, Kafeel Khan’s speech was against the policy of the government. It was not instigating any form of hatred instead he spoke of national unity and integrity.
After he was released from the Jail he spoke to the press briefly. He thanked the people of India who were with him during his time of struggle. He also said I am thankful to the judiciary that gave such good order and said that the UP government has put false, fictitious, and baseless cases and was kept in jail for 8 months. “
I was kept in this jail for eight months. They tortured me by denying food and water for five days.”
He also told the press that he was kept hungry for five days. I always spoke of uniting the country but I was kept in jail for 8 months under false cases.
Talking about the Government, he said the king is not following ‘Rajdharma’ ( the duty of king) but is doing’Balhath’ ( stubborn like a child).
In March 2018, Khan volunteered to provide medical assistance during the outbreak of the Nipah virus in Kozhikode district in Kerala. His offer of aid was accepted by the Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan. He has been putting medical relief and awareness camps in flood afflicted areas of the country and in Bihar during the last year’s Encephalitis outbreak.
He intends to continue his work in flood-affected areas of the country.
