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 15,2024

Udupi: The Tourism Department is planning a major eco-friendly development initiative for Kamini Island, located near the Blue Flag-certified Padubidri End Point beach, aiming to attract more visitors while maintaining environmental sustainability.

Assistant Director Kumar CU emphasized that, given the island’s proximity to the Blue Flag beach, all development efforts will center around eco-friendly practices. “We are looking to enhance the Kamini River and the island’s surroundings by adding a hanging bridge, nature trails, and eco-friendly food courts offering traditional cuisine. Visitors will also be able to reach the island by pedal boats or kayaking,” he said.

The development project is estimated to cost between Rs 3 crore and Rs 4 crore. Meanwhile, the Blue Flag beach, Padubidri, continues to see a steady flow of visitors. Vijay Shetty, manager of the beach, shared that tenders for food courts and water sports have been awarded to private parties. Recently, three new coracles have been introduced, which are proving to be a hit with visitors. Additionally, three more shelters are expected to be ready by November 20.

Shetty mentioned that the beach can now accommodate between 2,500 and 3,000 visitors daily, although footfall remains lower than other district beaches due to user fees and activity restrictions. “Initially, most visitors were from Mangaluru, but now nearly 40% come from other districts, showing a shift in the visitor demographics,” Shetty noted.

To further boost tourism and promote a healthy lifestyle, a Beach Carnival is set to take place on November 23-24, featuring the National Sea Swimming Championship and a sea marathon in collaboration with the Padubidri JCI, which is celebrating its golden jubilee. Cultural events will be held at the main beach, with some sports events taking place at the Blue Flag beach. Emphasis will be placed on making all activities environmentally friendly.

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News Network
November 18,2024

Advisors to US President-elect Donald Trump have instructed his allies and associates to refrain from using the inflammatory language they previously employed when discussing issues related to migrants and the deportation of asylum seekers, in a bid to avoid “looking like Nazis.”

US media reports said that Trump’s associates had been asked to stop using the word “camps” to describe potential facilities that would be used to accommodate migrants rounded up in deportation operations across the country.

The reports said the US president-elect’s allies had been ordered to stave off such charged terms as they would bring to mind “Nazis,” and be used against Trump.

“I have received some guidance to avoid terms, like ‘camps,’ that can be twisted and used against the president, yes,” one Trump ally told American monthly magazine Rolling Stone.

“Apparently, some people think it makes us look like Nazis.”

The presidential advisers also cautioned surrogates and allies to keep racist terms, which have dogged Trump’s campaign, out of their remarks.

They said with Trump’s heated rhetoric that used to compare undocumented immigrants to “animals” and his slight that they are “poisoning the blood of our country,” detractors did not need to reach too far to find parallels to Nazi Germany.

Stephen Miller, who Trump tapped to be his deputy chief of staff of policy, specifically used the word “camps” to describe holding facilities that he hoped the military could put together for immigrants.

Tom Homan, who served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is chosen by Trump to be in charge of the US borders, was no stranger to such language.

“It’s not gonna be a mass sweep of neighborhoods,” he said in an interview earlier this week. “It’s not gonna be building concentration camps. I’ve read it all. It’s ridiculous.”

Becoming a little more forthright about the new government’s aggressive deportation plans, Homan likened the early days of the Trump administration to the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003.

“I got three words for them – shock and awe,” he said. “You’re going to see us take this country back.”

Trump made immigration a central element of his 2024 presidential campaign but unlike his first run, which was mainly focused on building a border wall, he has shifted his attention to interior enforcement and the removal of undocumented immigrants already in the United States.

People close to the US president and his aides are laying the groundwork for expanding detention facilities to fulfill his mass deportation campaign promise.

The businessman-turned-politician deported more than 1.5 million people during his first term.

The figure do not include the millions of people turned away at the border under a Covid-era policy enacted by Trump and used during most of Biden’s term.

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News Network
November 11,2024

Udupi, Nov 11: A traveller reportedly lost ₹4.1 lakh after attempting to book a cab online in Udupi. 

At around 1:30 PM on November 7, the man from West Bengal searched for car rentals on Google and selected a website named "Shakti Car Rentals." Shortly after, he was contacted by someone claiming to be "Rohit Sharma," who directed him to pay a registration fee of ₹150 on the site.

After unsuccessful payment attempts via both his Canara Bank debit card and SBI credit card (without receiving an OTP), "Rohit Sharma" instructed him to pay the driver directly. But at 1:47 PM, he received messages showing deductions of ₹3.3 lakh from his SBI credit card and ₹80,056 from his Canara Bank debit card, totaling ₹4.1 lakh.

The complainant alleges fraud through a deceptive link disguised as a booking token fee. A case has been registered at Udupi Town Police Station.

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