Indian Academy of Pediatrics urges UP to revoke suspension of Dr Kafeel Khan

There is no complaint or any allegation of misconduct against him or any inquiry pending with the apex body of pediatricians in India, says Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), the largest body of Pediatricians in India, in a statement in support of Dr Kafeel Khan, who was suspended and arrested in 2017 on the charge of dereliction of duty following the death of children at the medical college in Gorakhpur. All other doctors suspended with him have been reinstated.

In a statement issued on December 6, IAP President Dr Bakul Jayant Parekh and Secretary Dr G V Basavaraja, stated, “… his suspension has not been revoked by the Government of Uttar Pradesh although nine different enquiries are completed and he is cleared of any wrong doing. The others who were suspended with him were already reinstated.”

It further said: “Please revoke his suspension if not found guilty”.

The death of children due to oxygen shortage in August 2017 had become a major issue for the Yogi Adityanath government, which had been sworn in barely five months prior to the tragedy.

The state government suspended Khan blaming him squarely for the tragedy and later he was arrested.

Earlier on March 4 it had reinstated three doctors who were suspended following the infamous oxygen scarcity case in BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur leading to death of over 60 children, 23 of them in one night in August 2017 but Dr Kafeel Khan was sent to jail.

On March 4, 2019 Government Anandiben Patel signed the government recommendation reinstating all the doctors who were suspended including former Principal of BRD Medical College Dr Rajiv Mishra, Dr Satish Kumar anesthetist and Dr Purnima Shukla, wife of Dr Rajiv Shukla. Dr Purnima has retired and all her retirement benefits have been cleared after the Governor's proclamation.

Interestingly, in August 2019 Dr Khan was absolved of the charges of medical negligence, corruption and dereliction of duty on the day when children died due to oxygen shortage. But still he was kept in jail.

Dr Kafeel’s release on parole was delayed even after the Supreme Court order of March 23. He was finally released on March 29.

In February 2020 Dr Kafeel Khan was booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) over his alleged anti-CAA speech at Aligarh Muslim University on December 12, 2019. On September 1, The Allahabad High Court revoked NSA and asked the state government to release him immediately.