Gorakhpur hospital tragedy: Allegations against Dr Kafeel Khan proven false

Agencies
November 27, 2017

Lucknow, Nov 27: Unable to find any evidence, the Gorakhpur police have dropped corruption and private practice charges against Dr Kafeel Ahmed Khan, who was made one of the nine accused in the deaths of children at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur on August 10 and 11.

After state government’s permission, the Gorakhpur Police filed charge-sheets against remaining two former BRD Medical College Principal Dr Rajiv Mishra and Paediatric Ward Head Dr Kafeel Ahmed Khan in the Gorakhpur Court. Dr Mishra was charged under Sections 120-B, 308, 409 of the IPC and 7/13 Anti-Corruption Act while Dr Khan was charged under Sections 120-B, 308 and 409 of the IPC.

Significantly, the Director General Medical Education K.K. Gupta had filed an FIR against Dr Khan under sections 120-B, 308, 409 of the IPC, Section 7/13 of Anti-Corruption Act, Section 66 of IT Act and Section 15 of the Indian Medical Council Act in the last week of August on the recommendation of the high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary Rajive Kumar.

The Investigative officer Abhishek Singh said that they could not find any material and substantive evidence during the course of investigation against Dr Khan to prove that he was involved in corruption, indulged in private practice or violated any provisions of the IT Act.

“Since no evidence was found against Dr Khan on these counts, we had dropped these charges against him” said Singh. The investigative officers have submitted statements from 93 witnesses and documentary proof against Dr Mishra but could not find any evidence to prove corruption and private practice charges against him.

“Dr Khan was made the scapegoat in the case. An FIR was filed on flimsy grounds to accuse him of private practice, but the police could not find any evidence to prove the charge. This clearly suggest that he is innocent and framed in the case as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath got annoyed with him because the media made him a saviour,” rued a close relative of Dr Khan.

Earlier, the Gorakhpur Police had filed chargesheets against Dr Purnima Shukla, former Anaesthesia Department Head Dr Satish Kumar, ex Chief Pharmacist Gajanan Jaiswal, Accounts departments clerks Sudhir Pandey, Udai Sharma, Sanjay Tripathi and owner of Pushpa Sales Pvt Lt Manish Bhandari. The police were awaiting government nod to file chargesheets against Dr Mishra and Dr Khan.

Meanwhile, FIRs are also likely to be filed against another former Principal of the BRD Medical College DR K.P. Kushwaha and four others in connection with executing contract with oxygen supplier Pushpa Sales Pvt Ltd. During the course of investigation it was found that Pushpa Sales Pvt Ltd was not manufacturing oxygen but despite that it was engaged to supply oxygen on higher price resulting in losses to state exchequer and violation of tendering process.

“Instead of executing the contract with Innox, the company which was producing oxygen, Pushpa Sales Pvt Ltd was given the oxygen supply contract. This raises doubts on role of five members of the committee which executed the contract,” the investigative officer told the court.

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News Network
November 17,2024

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An Israeli airstrike on the office of Syria’s Baath party in Lebanon’s capital Beirut has killed the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah's Media Relations Officer, Mohammad Afif, reports say.

Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported that the Israeli raid struck the Ba'ath party’s building in central Beirut district of Ras Al-Naba'a on Sunday, adding that the strike was an attempt to assassinate the leader of the resistance media front.

According to Baath Secretary-General Ali Hijazi, Afif was having a meeting in the Baath Party headquarters when Israel carried out the attack.

"Afif did not fight with weapons and did not lead a military unit in Hezbollah. Rather, he led a media unit," he said.

Reuters, Sky News, Al Jazeera and a number of Henrew-language media reported that Afif was killed in the Israeli strike.

However, Hezbollah has not yet confirmed Afif’s death or whether he was present at the site or not.

Earlier, the Lebanese Health Ministry said at least one person was killed and three others injured after an Israeli strike targeted a central district in Beirut.

Lebanon's al-Mayadeen television network reported that five people were killed in the attack.

The latest development came after Afif said Hezbollah was behind the Caesarea operation and targeting Netanyahu’s home during a speech at the Ghobeiry area in the southern suburbs of Beirut on October 22.

This was the second assassination attempt on Afif in the last two months, after he survived an attack on the Hezbollah media relations office several weeks ago.

Israel launched a ground assault and massive air campaign against Lebanon in late September after a year of exchanging fire across the Lebanese border in parallel with the Gaza war.

At least 3,287 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon over the past year, with the vast majority in the past seven weeks. Another 14,222 have been wounded, mostly women and children.

In response to the ongoing aggression, the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has been staging hundreds of retaliatory strikes against the occupied Palestinian territories and the Israeli forces trying to advance on southern Lebanese areas.

The movement has vowed to sustain its strikes until the regime ends the escalation.

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News Network
November 14,2024

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Bengaluru: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi led union government has requested the Karnataka High Court to direct the Mandya district administration and the state government to clear a madrasa operating within the premises of the historic Jama Masjid in Srirangapatna.

The Waqf Board, opposing this move, has claimed the mosque as its property and defended the right to conduct madrasa activities there.

The matter was brought before a division bench headed by Chief Justice N V Anjaria following a public interest litigation filed by a person named Abhishek Gowda from Kabbalu village in Kanakapura taluk. The petition alleged “unauthorised madrasa activities” within the mosque.

Representing the Central government, Additional Solicitor General of India for High Court of Karnataka, K Arvind Kamath argued that the Jama Masjid was designated as a protected monument in 1951, yet unauthorised madrasa operations continue there.

He noted that concerns over potential law and order issues have so far prevented any intervention. Kamath urged the court to direct the Mandya district administration to take action and vacate the madrasa from the mosque.

In defence, lawyers for the state government and the Waqf Board contested this request, stating that the Waqf Board had been recognised as the owner of the property since 1963 and, thus, conducting madrasa activities there is lawful.

After hearing both sides, the bench adjourned the case for further arguments, scheduling the next hearing for November 20.

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