Kafeel Khan, 80 others included in list of history-sheeters in UP's Gorakhpur

Dr Kafeel Khan and 80 others have been included in the list of history-sheeters in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh and they will be on the radar of police, officials said on Saturday.

History-sheets have been opened against the 81 people on the instruction of Senior Superintendent of Police Jogendra Kumar, they said, adding that the district now has a total of 1,543 history-sheeters or persons with a criminal record.

Kafeel Khan's brother Adeel Khan, however, told PTI that the history-sheet against the doctor was opened on June 18, 2020, but the information was given to the media on Friday.

In a video message released on Saturday, Kafeel Khan said, "The UP government has opened my history-sheet. They say that they will monitor me for life. Good, give two security guards who will keep an eye on me for 24 hours. At least, I will be able to save myself from fake cases."

"In Uttar Pradesh, the situation is such that the criminals are not monitored, but the history-sheet of innocent persons are opened," he added.

Khan was arrested in January 2020 after a speech he had delivered at the Aligarh Muslim University on December 10, 2019 during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests. He was subsequently booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).

On September 1, 2020, the Allahabad High Court had quashed Khan's detention under the NSA and ordered his immediate release, saying his speech at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) didn't promote hatred or violence.

In his video message, Khan also said he had written to the state government requesting it to reinstate him at his post in Gorakhpur's Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College.

Khan hit the headlines after the 2017 tragedy at the BRD Medical College, in which several kids died due to lack of oxygen cylinders. Initially, he was hailed as a saviour for the children for arranging emergency oxygen cylinders but later, faced action, along with nine other doctors and staff members of the hospital, all of whom were released on bail later.