Court grants UP STF Dr Kafeel’s transit remand

LUCKNOW/MUMBAI: A Mumbai court on Thursday granted transit remand of Dr Kafeel Khan to UP Special Task Force to bring him to Uttar Pradesh even as he insisted that he feared for his life and requested not to be sent back.

Confirming Khan’s transit remand, STF IG Amitabh Yash said, “Dr Kafeel Khan will be brought to Aligarh where the case against him is lodged. Further investigation will be conducted upon his arrival here.”

Khan is accused of making an inflammatory speech during an anti-CAA protest in Aligarh in December last year.

As per the FIR, Khan had said, “Mota Bhai [Amit Shah] is teaching everyone to become Hindu or Muslim but not a human being. He does not believe in the Constitution. The CAB [CAA] makes Muslims second category citizens and subsequently they will be harassed with the implementation of the NRC.”

Khan allegedly said, “In the schools of RSS, it is taught that people with beard are terrorists.”

At the Bandra court, before the UP Police could seek his transit, Khan said, “UP Police will kill me in a fake encounter.” He also requested the lawyers in the court to represent him; eventually one of them agreed.

Khan pleaded, “The UP government is trying to falsely frame me...I have not said anything provocative.” Reacting to Khan’s misgivings, Uttar Pradesh Police chief OP Singh said, “...we believe in the rule of law and our preliminary aim is to arrest people and not to kill them.”