Dr Kafeel’s wife fears for his life inside jail, seeks security

GORAKHPUR: Dr Kafeel’s wife Shabista Khan on Saturday alleged that her husband was being tortured physically and mentally inside the Mathura jail, adding that she feared Dr Kafeel might be killed inside the jail.

Shabista has written to chief justice of Allahabad high court, DG jail and home secretary UP government seeking security for her husband who was shifted to Mathura jail from Aligarh jail after being arrested from Mumbai Airport on January 29. He was later booked under NSA on February 14 in connection with his alleged hate speech during antiCAA/NRC rally on Aligarh Muslim University campus on December 12.

“The NSA was invoked against him hours before his scheduled release from Aligarh Jail on February 14. Right from his arrest from Mumbai, Dr Kafeel was being given inhuman treatment.

He was brought to Aligarh from Mumbai in a train where he was made to stand with handcuffs throughout the journey,” she alleged.

“After that he was shifted to Mathura jail without any court’s order, which as per an SC order is mandatory to shift prisoner from one jail to other. He was kept in a 10/ 8 barrack along with 100 hardcore criminals and denied meal for days. Under such condition, there is a serious threat to his life. Nowadays, murder inside jails has become a common trend. It is easy for the government to shift blame on inmates if he is murdered. So, we have written to the chief justice of Allahabad high court, DG jail and home secretary Uttar Pradesh, seeking security for him inside the jail,” Shabista said.Dr Kafeel’s brother Adeel Khan said, “Despite bail orders dated February 10, they did not release him and every time we approached them they kept us waiting by giving new date and time for his release. When he was not released by February 13, we moved to the court to file contempt and obtain fresh order. On the night of February 13 at 8.20 pm, we submitted the fresh order with jailer who in turn told us that Dr Kafeel would be released late night and later cited heavy media presence outside to postpone the release at 6 in the morning. The next day on February 14, we kept waiting till 10.30 am when suddenly we got to know through media that fresh charges under NSA had been slapped on him. Jail authorities told us that he cannot be freed now.”

Dr Kafeel shot to light after infamous 2017 oxygen tragedy at BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur, when over 60 children died due to acute and sudden shortage of oxygen supply as supplier Pushpa Sales stopped supply for non-clearance of dues amounting to Rs 60 lakh.

Back then, Dr Kafeel and nine other doctors and staff were booked and sent to jail on different charges.