After clean chit to Dr Kafeel, actor Paresh Rawal apologises

GORAKHPUR : Actor and former BJP MP Paresh Rawal, who had hit out at Dr Kafeel Ahmed Khan over his alleged role in the 2017 oxygen tragedy at BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur two years ago, on Wednesday took to Twitter to apologise to the paeditrician. The 2017 Gorakhpur hospital tragedy claimed the lives of over 60 children. The apology came days after a departmental probe ordered by the UP government absolved Dr Kafeel Khan of the charges of medical negligence and corruption.

On August 14, 2017, Rawal had tweeted about Dr Kafeel Khan: “Yes, a hero but in the eyes of the termite clan.”

His tweet had come days after the BRD Medical College tragedy occurred and a section of the media had highlighted Dr Kafeel Khan as a saviour of dying children for having arranged oxygen cylinders in an emergency.

Last week, the state government gave a clean chit to the doctor. Thereafter, Paresh Rawal tweeted his apology: “There is no shame in apologising when one is wrong….I apologise to @ Dr Kafeel .”

Reacting to the apology, Dr Kafeel Khan said, “I appreciate he has apologised as people with big hearts apologise for their mistake. I was hurt when Paresh Rawal, of whom I am a great fan, attacked me and called the entire community termite.”

“Actually there was propaganda against me. A noted journalist even called me ‘Doctor Death’. Several others used unacceptable words against me. People forgot the deaths of children as a section of the media kept focusing on Kafeel. One of those anchors has also apologized by sending a text message,” said Dr Kafeel, who was in floodaffected Bihar to hold free health camps to examine children there.

According to the investigation report, Dr Kafeel was not the nodal medical officer in-charge of the encephalitis ward at BRD Medical College Hospital, and that the documents contesting the same provided by the department were “inadequate and inconsistent”.