LUCKNOW: After remaining suspended for four years, Dr Kafeel Khan, the paediatrician at BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur, has been terminated from service, said senior government officials said here on Thursday.
The order of termination of Dr Kafeel Khan's services was released by the Medical Education authorities late on Wednesday night. Dr Khan was suspended in connection with the death of 67 kids at BRD Medical College due to lack of oxygen in August, 2017.
According to senior officials of Medical Education department, Dr Kafeel Khan was sacked after being found guilty in the probe conducted into the circumstance which led to the death of kids at BRD medical college in 2017.
While giving the initial information about the termination of services of Dr Kafeel Khan, principal secretary, Medical Education, Alok Kumar said that as the matter was sub-judice, a detailed report in this connection would be furnished to the High Court on next date of hearing in the matter.
At present, Dr Khan was attached to the office of Director General Medical Education (DGME) after his suspension in the case in 2017. However, reacting to the development, Dr Khan said that he had full confidence in judiciary and would challenge the dismissal order the court of law.
Dr Khan claimed that he was surprised at the government order of dismissal as the court had given him the clean chit in the case. He added that he was yet to receive the order and that he came to know about his dismissal through media reports.
"They have no authority to terminate me. They should have taken orders from UP Public Service Commission (UPPSC)," asserted the doctor. However, the government authorities claimed that the order of termination was released only after fulfilling due formalities.
"I am the only one to be targetted in the case while seven others, who were suspended, were reinstated by this government. However, I have been dismissed despite High Court's clean chit to me in negligence case on April 18, 2019," maintained the doctor.
It may be recalled that the doctor was given the bail by the Allahabad High Court on April 18, 2019 in BRD Kids’ death case wherein the court had observed that there was no proof of negligence against the doctor. But the matter is still sub-judice and pending in Allahabad High Court.
Dr Kafeel said that the UP government had constituted another inquiry against him on February 24, 2020 while he was in jail in connection with his speech at AMU during anti-CAA protest. The government declared in the court on August 6, 2021 that it was withdrawing the newly constituted probe following the court’s directives.
However, the inquiry set up against him in February, 2020 was in connection with a case lodged against him for forcibly treating the patients at the Bahraich district hospital and criticizing the policies of the government. He was suspended in this case also by a state government order dated July 31, 2019.
This was the second time Dr Kafeel was suspended by the state government, while he was already under suspension following the August 2017 tragedy at BRD Medical College at Gorakhpur.
Dr Kafeel claimed that the state government did not tell the court about his termination despite there was a hearing on November 10, 2021. "The next hearing is on December 7, 2021. I never had any hope of justice from this government," he said.
On the other, Dr Kafeel Khan’s dismissal drew a reaction from Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who called the order to harass the doctor.