In a speech, Kafeel Khan had criticised India’s new citizenship law, which discriminates against Muslims. For the court, the doctor did not threaten national security. He laid bare the mismanagement of public health service. For friends and colleagues, he is a symbol of the fight against religious oppression. For the ruling party, he is in the service of the opposition.
New Delhi (AsiaNews) – A paediatrician from Uttar Pradesh was released on 1 September and cleared of all charges, after spending more than 200 days in Mathura prison for criticising India’s controversial citizenship law, which discriminates against Muslim immigrants.
At a meeting last December at the Aligarh Muslim University, Kafeel Khan accused the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of engaging in sectarian politics and ignoring the real problems of the country, such as the deterioration of children’s health, rising unemployment, and the poor state of the economy.
For the Allahabad High Court, Khan's words were not intended to incite hatred and violence; on the contrary, they represented a call for "national integrity and unity among the citizens." For this reason, the court ruled that his detention was illegal.
The doctor was held under the National Security Act, which that allows for long periods of pre-trial detention of individuals suspected of threatening national security.
For Dr Khan, this was not the first clash with India’s justice system. Three years ago, he and eight other hospital employees were jailed in connection with the deaths of more than 70 children in the Gorakhpur public hospital, where he worked as a junior doctor.
Most of the young victims died from oxygen supply being cut. The hospital management defended itself saying that the supply was cut because of unpaid bills worth US$ 100,000, which the government denies.
In September 2019, the paediatrician was cleared of all charges connected with this case. A government investigation found that Dr Khan had actually paid out of his own pocket for the purchase of 250 oxygen cylinders to save as many children as possible.
To colleagues and friends, the government has targeted Khan because he has put the spotlight on the shortcomings of the country’s public healthcare system.
His supporters consider him a symbol of the fight against religious oppression, fuelled by the Modi administration.
For the Bharatiya Janata Party, in power since 2014, Khan has political ambitions and works for the opposition.