RTI activist who had exposed quacks shot at; five booked
GORAKHPUR : An RTI activist, whose petitions had led to action against quacks running illegal dental hospitals in Deoria, was on Tuesday shot at by five assailants outside his residence in Garurpura locality of the district.
Tahir Khan, 35, suffered multiple bullet injuries on his chest and stomach. He was rushed to district hospital from where he was referred to Gorakhpur’s BRD Medical College.
Doctors said his condition is critical.
Police said the bike-borne assailants fired at the activist and left the spot waving pistols in air.
“Case has been registered against five people, Nadeem Khan, Saleem Khan, Amjad, Imtiyaz Khan and Javed Khan (all brothers). They have been booked under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation), 504 (breach of peace), 323 (voluntary causing hurt), 149 (unlawful assembly) and 148(rioting),” said Rajesh Kumar Yadav, incharge, Kotwali.
Last year in November, an RTI query by Tahir had brought into focus the illegal dental clinics being operated by Dr Saleem Khan and his brothers.
“On Tahir’s complaint, CMO had raided the hospitals owned by Dr Saleem Khan and his brothers,” said Yadav. Later, a probe by the health department had found that the doctors were operating the hospitals without valid degrees.
“Also, Tahir used to live on a grabbed piece of land and was made to vacate it by doctors. Since then he was living in a rented house,” said the cop.