The brother of Kafeel Khan, charged with infant deaths at a UP hospital last year, was shot at by three men near the Gorakhnath temple late Sunday.
New Delhi: Hours after an attack on his brother, Dr Kafeel Khan, who was charged with the death of infants at a UP government-run hospital last year, told ThePrint Monday that his family has no intention of leaving Gorakhpur.
“We have lived here, we will die here also,” Kafeel said.
Late Sunday, Kafeel’s younger brother Kashif Jameel was shot at by unidentified assailants near the Gorakhnath temple.
Kashif was on his bike when he was attacked, his brother Adeel said. Two men, one wearing a helmet and the other with his face covered by a handkerchief, allegedly came on a bike, ambushed Jameel and shot him.
He suffered three bullet injuries and is admitted at the Star Hospital in Gorakhpur where he underwent surgery.
“Two bullets pierced and went through his body, the third one is still stuck in his neck,” Adeel said. “He looks stable now.”
Kafeel’s allegation
Kafeel told ThePrint he suspects the hand of the “real culprits” behind the BRD Hospital tragedy in the attack on his brother.
“I don’t quite know who could be behind it…But the real culprits behind the (hospital) tragedy could have done this,” he said.
In August last year, 30 infants died in 48 hours at Gorakhpur’s BRD Medical College Hospital. Lack of oxygen supply was blamed for the deaths.
Kafeel, who was initially hailed as a hero for his reported efforts to arrange oxygen for the patients with his own money, was arrested in September for allegedly being responsible for the deaths. He remained in prison for eight months and was released on bail in April.
Kafeel said he and his family had not faced any physical threat so far because he has been speaking up against the administration ever since his release, but they could well have been targeted.
“There was an attempt to kill my brother… I always said they will try to kill us,” Kafeel had said Sunday.
He also raised questions about the state of law and order in Uttar Pradesh.
“The CM (Yogi Adityanath) was barely 500 metres away from where the incident took place…He was visiting the Gorakhnath temple. What does it say about the security of the state,” he asked.
Alleging harassment, Kafeel told the media late Sunday that even though the medico-legal procedures were done at Sadar Hospital, the SSP was forcing the family for one more medico-legal procedure in Gorakhpur’s medical college by the board.
“They wasted three-four critical hours for doing the medico-legal which was already done. Whose responsibility would it have been had something going happened to my brother,” he asked.