BENGALURU: A doctor who attempted to save the lives of children in hospital went on to become a ‘scapegoat’ fighting many legal battles. This is the story of Dr Kafeel Khan which he narrates in his book, The Gorakhpur Hospital Tragedy. In Bengaluru recently for the launch, Khan – who spent 12 years in Manipal pursuing medicine – shares some difficult experiences he has endured. Excerpts:
How did the August 2017 tragedy change you as a person? Were you as vocal about issues as you are today?
I was never like this before. I used to go to the hospital, treat patients and come home. I never voted. For the first time, I voted in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But the August 2017 tragedy changed my life. I was stripped of my duty, jailed in Gorakhpur and Mathura, the NSA (National Security Act) was invoked upon me, my brother was shot, I was terminated from medical service recently, and separated from my family.
When and what was the trigger to write this book?
I compiled my stories with my sufferings, including that of my family’s. I also wrote the book to talk about the families of 68 kids and 18 adults who died on the night of August 10, 2017, because BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur could not pay Rs 68 lakh to set up liquid oxygen cylinders. I also wanted to highlight my dreaded prison life in Gorakhpur and Mathura. However, the important trigger to write this book was when the second wave of Covid-19 impeded the health infrastructure across India, mainly in metro cities due to lack of oxygen supply. This reminded me of the same situation of August 2017 in Gorakhpur.
Can you share the experience you went through when you were jailed in Mathura, following your speech on CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and NRC (National Register of Citizens) at Aligarh Muslim University?
I totally forgot about the CAA and NRC issue when I was in Mathura jail. What broke me from inside was hunger. They did not give me food and water for days. I held the jailer’s leg and begged for food. I used to scream for food and sometimes imagine food in the air and savour it. I chewed my shirt and also plucked the grass outside the jail and ate them. I did not offer namaz for days. Thankfully, depression or anxiety did not creep into me and I did not require any sort of counselling.
Your life has taken a drastic turn...what is your family life like now?
My brother was shot dead and my family stands separated from me. I miss them a lot. When I came back from Mathura jail, my five-year-old daughter could not recognise me. When I woke up the next day, I woke up to the scream of my daughter who was scared of a bearded man sleeping on the bed. My one-year-old son does not recognise me and considers my brother as his father. Leading a normal life is very difficult for me now.
What is your next course of action?
If any party offers me a ticket, I am willing to contest the UP polls 2022. However, I am now focussing on social service under the Dr Kafeel Khan Mission Smile Foundation. I have also started a ‘Health for All’ campaign, to demand Right to Healthcare legislation; I’ve launched an initiative called ‘Doctors on Road’ to provide healthcare services to patients in the Indian hinterlands. I am also planning to write another book, detailing my journey from a doctor to an activist.
(The Gorakhpur Hospital Tragedy- A Doctor’s Memoir of a Deadly Medical Crisis’, published by Pan Macmillan India, is priced at Rs 379)