Dr Kafeel Khan arrested again in Gorakhpur, on complaint of forgery registered 9 years later

Gorakhpur-based paediatrician Dr Kafeel Ahmad Khan, who has been openly criticising Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, was arrested and sent to jail on Sunday, September 23 night in a forgery case dating back nine years.

According to a statement issued by the district police, Dr Kafeel and his elder brother Adeel Ahmad Khan were arrested on the charge of cheating, forgery of valuable security and for purpose of cheating, using a forged driving license as genuine and criminal conspiracy.

Vijay Kumar Singh, superintendent of police of Gorakhpur city said that one Muzaffar Alam had filed an FIR against Mohammad Faizan, an aid of Adeel, that he had forged a document to open a bank account in 2009 in the name of the complainant and transactions worth ₹2 crore was done in next five years from the same account to benefit Dr Kafeel and his brother.

“The same bank account was used to pay the fees of Dr Kafeel, when he was studying”, the police officer claimed. He didn’t explain why the case was registered after nine years.

Arrested along with seven others in September 2017 after being accused of committing culpable homicide after the death of more than two dozen children during shortage of oxygen at Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur, Dr Kafeel, who was in-charge of its encephalitis ward, was released on bail in May 2018. He had accused CM Yogi for harassing him because he belonged to the minority community.

A few hours before his arrest, the Gorakhpur paediatrician was detained by Bahraich police, when he had gone there to the district hospital to register his protest against the apathy of the state government towards the death of more than 120 children because of encephalitis. The hospital authorities had accused him of instigating the patients and their attendants to attack the doctors.

Incidentally, CM Yogi was also in Gorakhpur on Saturday and Sunday.

While being taken to jail, Dr Kafeel told reporters that there was undeclared emergency in the country.

"It is a clear case of witch-hunting because we don't agree with the divisive ideology of the BJP", the doctor said. He told mediapersons that the complainant had made a complaint against Faizan and the police added his and his brother’s names during investigation.

Faizan, the main accused, is absconding.