LUCKNOW: Dr Kafeel Khan, the paediatrician held at Mumbai international airport by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on Wednesday evening, was handed over to the UP police after being produced before a metropolitan magistrate court in Bandra on Thursday afternoon.
Before being handed over to the UP police, Dr Khan reportedly expressed fear for his life in the court by saying that the UP police might kill him in a fake encounter.
Dr Khan was arrested for allegedly delivering an inflammatory speech during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at the Bab-e-Sayyad gate of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) on December 12.
As per sources, Dr Khan claimed in court that the UP government was trying to implicate him in a false case. “The court can watch the entire video. I have not said anything provocative. But, still, if the case against me has to be pursued, please keep me in Mumbai,” he reportedly said in court.
Dr Khan had earlier grabbed the headlines after 60 children had died in the BRD hospital in August 2017 allegedly due to disruption in oxygen supply. He was then suspended and jailed before being granted bail in April 2018 by the Allahabad High Court. The case is still going on in court.
Dr Khan’s lawyer said in court that sedition charges were not applicable to him. He only gave his opinion on how the CAA will impact Muslims, Kafeel’s lawyer reportedly told the court.
I-G, UP STF, Amitabh Yash said the STF would hand over the doctor to Aligarh police who had lodged the case against Kafeel for delivering an inflammatory speech. “Interrogation would be done by the Aligarh police only,” said I-G Amitabh Yash.
“He was trying to evade his arrest by hiding in Bihar. We were tracking his location through electronic surveillance,” said the I-G.
However, rejecting the apprehensions of an encounter, UP DGP OP Singh said the UP police believed in the rule of law and in arresting those who breached it in any manner instead of killing them. “His apprehensions are unfounded,” said the DGP.
“He will be prosecuted before the court as per the law. We have arrested him over the hate speech that he delivered at AMU on December 12. We have nothing to do with his past. We are charging him and going ahead just in the present case,” Singh added while talking to the media.
Dr Khan was booked under Section 153 (A) and arrested at the airport when he arrived in Mumbai to attend anti-CAA protests.