‘No Clean Chit to Dr Kafeel Khan, Probe Still Underway’: UP Govt

Dr Kafeel Khan had been accused of corruption and medical negligence in the BRD Medical hospital tragedy in 2017.

(Photo: Aliza Noor/The Quint)

Days after suspended paediatrician Dr Kafeel Khan said that he was absolved of charges of medical negligence and corruption in connection with the Gorakhpur's BRD Hospital tragedy of 2017, the UP Principal Secretary (Medical Education) Rajnish Dube on Thursday, 3 October, was quoted by ANI as saying that he has not been given a clean chit by the government.

He added that a probe is still underway in seven charges against Dr Khan.

Khan also took to Twitter on Thursday saying that the Yogi Adityanath-led government has framed three new charges against him. A new departmental inquiry has also been initiated against him pertaining to these three charges.

‘Government Trying to Divert Attention from Main Issue’

Speaking to The Quint on Thursday, Khan said, “It is the government's prerogative to accept the inquiry report” which has cleared him “on the major charges of corruption, medical negligence and of being the nodal officer of the hospital.”

He also lamented that the government was not speaking about the children who lost their lives in the tragedy, and was only trying to “divert attention from the main issue”.

“The funny thing is that I joined BRD Medical College on 8 August 2016. We are put on a probation period for two years. I couldn’t have been possibly made the nodal officer in one year and we are not given any financial power while on probation, so there cannot be any corruption charges. Hence, these charges were looked into and were removed.”

Kafeel Khan to <b>The Quint</b>

What Had Dr Khan Said Earlier?

On 28 September, Khan had said, “The department inquiry has shown that I did not do any medical negligence or indulge in any corruption... That tag of ‘murderer Kafeel’ and ‘infamous doctor Kafeel’ is off my head now.”

He had also demanded that he be reinstated with due honour.

Addressing media persons at the Press Club of India in Delhi, he reiterated that the Uttar Pradesh government should apologise to the families of the children who died and provide compensation to the kin.

‘Dr Khan Made a Wrongful Conclusion of Report’

An adviser to Chief Minister Adityanath had said on 27 September that the inquiry has not disproved the charge that the doctor also ran a private practice.

“It is not right to say that Dr Kafeel has got a clean chit in the departmental inquiry. He has made a wrongful conclusion of the report,” Mrityunjay Kumar had said in a statement, PTI reported.

Khan during the press conference argued, “I joined UP government service from 8 August 2016. How did it matter what I did before that?”

Asked if he ran a private practice before that, he said, “Yes, from 2013-2016, but it has no connection with the Gorakhpur case or my employment with the UP government.”