Protests to Demand Release of Dr Kafeel Khan

Protests were organized across Bihar on 19 July 2020 under the joint banner of CPIML, AISA, RYA and Insaf Manch to demand the immediate release of renowned child specialist Dr Kafeel Khan and lifting of NSA slapped on him. The protests were held at offices and homes while maintaining physical distancing and other Lockdown rules. It is well known that more than 60 children died from lack of oxygen at the Gorakhpur Medical College in 2017 due to criminal negligence on the part of the government. Dr Kafeel Khan had criticized the government for this and as a result the Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh is hunting him with a vengeance.

Many leaders protested with posters and placards at the CPIML State office in Patna, including State Secretary Kunal, CC member Brij Bihari Pandey, AIPWA State President Saroj Chaube, Pradeep Jha, State Committee member Prakash Kumar, Vibha Gupta and others.

Protests in Ara, Gadhani, Jagdishpur, Maner, Purnea, Darbhanga, Katihar, and Muzaffarpur were led by leaders including MLA Sudama Prasad, Raju Yadav, Jawahar Lal Singh, RYA National President Manoj Manzil, State President Ajit Kushwaha, AISA National General Secretary Sandeep Saurabh, National Vice President Mokhtar, State Secretary Sabir Kumar, Sandeep Chaudhury, Prince Karn, Kazim Irfani, Insaf manch leader Suraj Kumar Singh, Aftab Alam, Fahad Jaman and Insaf Manch State Vice President Neyaz Ahmed.

Leaders who protested at Siwan, Barsoi, Dhanrua, Paliganj, Arwal and Jehanabad included MLA Satyadev Ram, former MLA Amarnath Yadav, Mahboob Alam, AIARLA State Secretary Gopal Ravidas, Anwar Husain, Mahanand, Rambali Singh Yadav and others.

People in large numbers protested from their homes in Blocks and villages in various Dsistricts including Ara, Patna Rural, Jehanabad, Siwan, Arwal, Nalanda, Purnea, Rohtas, Gaya, Nawada, Samastipur, Saharasa, Darbhanga and Madhubani.

State Secretary Kunal said that jailing Dr Kafeel Khan under NSA for speaking out against government policies is a fascist act by the Yogi government. In this period of medical crisis he would have been of great help to the people if he were free. The government was responsible for the shortage of oxygen but on the contrary they sent Dr Kafeel to jail, accusing him of being responsible for the children’s deaths. After months in jail he came out on bail and the government enquiry committee declared him not guilty in September 2017. But the enquiry committee also asked him to apologize to Yogi Ji, and so once again became the target of Yogi Ji.

On 12 December 2019 he addressed an anti-CAA meeting organized by the Aligarh Muslim University. He was once again arrested for inflammatory speech and sent to jail. On 10 February 2020 he got bail from the Allahabad High Court but his release was deliberately delayed for 3 days. On 13 February the Court again issued orders for his release. But instead of releasing him he was detained again for 3 months under the NSA. Before the end of the detention period the NSA was extended for a further 3 months on 12 May 2020.
Leaders in Patna speaking on the occasion said that last year during the floods Dr Kafeel Khan had set up camps in Patna and other places and given treatment to the flood affected people. The Uttar Pradesh government, obsessed by political prejudices, wants such a socially committed doctor to rot in jail and die. But we will not let that happen under any circumstances.

Dr Kafeel Khan has a special and close relationship with Muzaffarpur. Protests for his release were held at many places there, led by the above organizations. Protests at Gayaghat, Muzaffarpur City, Musahari Block and other places were led by senior leader Jitendra Yadav, Vivek Kumar, Vikas Kumar, Ashok Kumar, District Secretary Krishna Mohan, AISA, AIPWA and RYA leaders.

Speaking on the occasion, Krishna Mohan said that as he hailed from neighboring Gorakhpur Dr Kafeel Khan has been closely associated with Bihar. When Muzaffarpur was in the grip of encephalitis he set up medical camps here and treated children with love and care and Muzaffarpur shares a deep bond with him.

Uttar Pradesh Protests for Release of Dr Kafeel Khan

CPIML protested in Uttar Pradesh as well as across other parts of the country to demand the release of renowned child specialist from Gorakhpur Dr Kafeel Khan who has been jailed since a long period of time under NSA. The protests were held while maintaining physical distancing and other Corona prevention rules. The cry rose in unison from public places, party offices, houses, mohallas and villages, “Release our Dr Kafeel!”

In capital Lucknow the protest programs were held at the Party office in Lalkuan, Gomti Nagar, BKT and Ashiana. Party activists and activists of people’s organizations protested with posters and banners and also put up photos on social media and took to twitter to demand Dr Khan’s release.

Leaders and activists who spoke on the occasion said that the Yogi government has incarcerated Dr Kafeel under false charges of giving an inflammatory speech at an anti-CAA program in Aligarh last December. A special police squad was sent to arrest him from Mumbai airport in January and he was thrown into Mathura jail. The High Court gave him bail but he was slapped with NSA so that his release was prevented.

The speakers pointed out that Dr Kafeel is not only a doctor but also a social activist. When the ‘oxygen episode’ occurred at the Gorakhpur BRD Medical College he left no stone unturned to save the lives of children. He should have been awarded for this, but instead he was tortured. As this episode exposed the criminal negligence of the government right under the nose of CM Yogi, the blame was wrongfully put on Dr Kafeel and he has been targeted ever since, although he has been proved innocent by the government’s own enquiry committee. Dr Kafeel has done stellar work not only in Uttar Pradesh, but also in neighboring Bihar when he set up camps and worked tirelessly to give free medical treatment and save children during the encephalitis epidemic in Muzaffarpur. He was always ready to give his services free of cost. Such a dedicated doctor is being jailed even in these times of Corona pandemic by the Yogi government under its policy of arrogance, hate and repression. At this time he could have been of invaluable help with his medical expertise and commitment. He has committed no crime that warrants the slapping of the National Security Act (NSA). The possibility of Covid infection in jail is serious. He must be released immediately.

Apart from Lucknow, protests were also organized for Dr Kafeel’s release at Varanasi, Prayagraj, Sonbhadra, Chandauli, Ghazipur, Ballia, Azamgarh, Mau, Gorakhpur, Basti, Devariya, Bhadohi, Rae Bareli, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheeri, Jalaun, Mathura and other Districts. Many organizations participated in the protests including CPIML, Insaf manch, RYA, AIPWA and AISA. The protests at Chandauli were led by State Secretary Sudhakar Yadav.

Udaipur Protests for Release of Dr Kafeel Khan

Justice-loving citizens and democratic people’s organizations in Udaipur protested on social media through photos and videos to demand the release of Dr Kafeel Khan.

Many people participated in the protest including senior journalist and Editor of Samta Sandesh Himmat Seth, Prof RN Vyas and Prof LR Patel from IPF, Arun Vyas and RD Vyas from PUCL, Dr Jatin Chaudhury, Bohra youth leaders Ghaznafar Ali and Dr Farhat Bano, retired engineer Afzal Qadri, AIPWA leader Hina Khan, Writer Hemendra Chandalia, CPIML leaders Shankar Lal Chaudhury, Kailash Roat, Rafat Qurban, Qamar Iqbal, Kisan Mahasabha leader Chandradev Ola, AICCTU leader Saurabh Naruka and others.

It should be noted that Dr Kafeel Khan is the doctor who arranged oxygen for children at his own cost to save lives at the Gorakhpur Medical College in 2017 when hundreds of children died for lack of oxygen due to criminal negligence by the government. The resultant praise for Dr Kafeel and criticism of CM Yogi led to the setting up of a hospital enquiry committee which gave a clean chit to Dr Kafeel. Another committee was then set up but its report is still to see the light of day.

Currently Dr Kafeeel is in jail after he gave an anti-CAA speech at AMU. He was granted bail on 14 February but NSA was slapped against him for 3 months before he could be released, and on 12 May the NSA was extended for a further 3 months. On the one hand NSA is not applied on gangster-terrorists like Vikas Dubey despite many pending cases against them; on the other hand NSA is slapped and citizens like Dr Kafeel merely for raising their voice against government policies and they are thrown into jail. This is an anti-democratic act by the Yogi government and a serious violation of Dr Kafeel Khan’s democratic rights under the Constitution.

In keeping with the movement across the country for Dr Kafeel Khan’s release, the social media protest was organized at Udaipur on 18 July. Protests will continue till Dr Khan is released.