Yesterday, media was flooded with reports that Dr Kafeel Khan, an accused in the Gorakhpur children’s death case that took place in August 2017, was given ‘clean chit’ in a departmental inquiry.
The media reports read that a departmental inquiry had ‘absolved Dr Kafeel Khan of all the charges’ of medical negligence and corruption at Gorakhpur’s BRD medical college where several infants had died due to disruption in oxygen supply over alleged nonpayment of dues. Media reports said that Khan has now demanded a CBI probe and referred to himself as a ‘scapegoat’.
Somewhere buried in the report is the part that the committee has not absolved him of running a private practise till August 2016.
However, now the BRD medical college administration has issued clarification that the media reports of Dr Kafeel Khan given ‘clean chit’ are incorrect.
In a statement issued, it states that there have been reports in various media publications like Times of India, Amar Ujala, NDTV, News 18 as well as social media like WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook regarding suspended Dr Kafeel Khan absolving him of all the accusations. The statement acknowledges that Dr Kafeel Khan has also made statements on social media in this regard.
The statement mentions that Dr Kafeel Khan was suspended following the death of infants in BRD medical college, Gorakhpur from 22nd August 2017. An inquiry commission was set up on 11th September 2017 and Dr Kafeel Khan had appeared before the same on 21st May 2018, 27th August 2018, 18th March 2019 and 29th March 2019.
The statement mentions that while Dr Kafeel Khan has been found not guilty of negligence and corruption, he has still been found guilty of running a private practice and two other accusations. The committee is still inquiring into the matter and no decision has been taken in case of Dr Kafeel Khan. Other than these, inquiry is still on for other accusations against him.
The administration said that it is incorrect to say that Dr Kafeel Khan has got clean chit.
In an extremely tragic incident, 30 children had died in the Baba Raghav Das Medical College, Gorakhpur over a period of 48 hours in August 2017. Some of the deaths happened after contractors allegedly stopped supplying liquid oxygen due to non-payment of dues of about Rs 63 lakh. Khan was arrested after it was revealed that he was involved with taking oxygen cylinders meant for the hospital away for use in his own nursing home. He was allegedly arrested in 2009 in Delhi on charges impersonating someone in the examination for medical registration. Some reports have also claimed that he was suspended from Manipal University for criminal cases against him.
