Two days after suspended Gorakhpur doctor Kafeel Khan who has been slapped with the National Security Act (NSA), made allegations that her husband’s life is under threat at Mathura jail, the District Magistrate of the city claimed that Khan is ‘fully secure’ in the jail.
Kafeel Khan is currently lodged in Mathura jail over his alleged inflammatory speech at the Aligarh Muslim University during the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on December 12 last year.
Shabista Khan, Kafeel’s wife, in a letter to the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), and Director General (Jail), had alleged that her husband is being treated inhumanely in the jail.
She also raised her fear that an attempt could be made on her husband’s life inside the jail. She had demanded adequate security for him and had urged that her husband should be kept away from active criminals lodged in the jail.
Mathura District Magistrate Sarvagya Ram Mishra said on Monday, “Kafeel Khan, who has been booked under the National Security Act (NSA) for alleged inflammatory statements during an anti-CAA protest in Aligarh, is absolutely fine and fully secure in Mathura jail. Allegations of ‘inhuman’ treatment being meted out to him are baseless.”
Senior Superintendent of Mathura district prison, Shailendra Maitrey, said that Khan’s condition is being monitored on hourly basis and the report is updated in the gate book. His ECG is normal and blood pressure is also under control.
Maitrey, added that Khan was demanding checkup from a cardiologist.
“Since no specialist is available in the government sector here, his request could not be complied with. However, the jail authorities have sent his request to chief medical officer and have asked him to make a specialist available,” the jail official said.
“Khan is in barrack, which is fully ventilated, and he shares it with 50-60 prisoners of good behavior.”
The Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh Police had on January 29 arrested Kafeel Khan in December last year.
An FIR was registered against him under section 153-A (Promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion) of IPC on December 13.
After his arrest in Mumbai, Khan was brought to Aligarh, from where he was immediately shifted to the district jail in neighbouring Mathura.
The Aligarh police had slapped the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against Khan on February 13 night, hours before he was expected to walk free from the Mathura jail, after he was granted bail by Aligarh’s chief judicial magistrate on February 10.
Doctor Kafeel Khan, a paediatrician hit the headlines after the death of 60 children in the Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College in Gorakhpur in August 2017 due to disruption in oxygen supply over unpaid bills. Following this, he was suspended.
However, Khan was later given a clean chit in the child deaths case.