Paediatrician and activist Kafeel Khan.
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday finally terminated the services of Dr Kafeel Khan, a paediatrician with the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur. The government spokesman confirmed the news of Khan's termination.
Kafeel Khan had been suspended along with seven others in August 2017 when over 60 children died due to disruption in the oxygen supply at the BRD hospital. Seven doctors, except Khan, were later reinstated.
The state government later booked him for making inflammatory speeches during the anti-CAA protests in the state.
Dr Khan of Gorakhpur’s BRDMCH Paediatrician Department has been sacked after being found guilty in the probe into the circumstances leading to the death of children in the hospital, UP Principal Secretary (Medical Education) Alok Kumar said.
As the matter is sub judice, the detailed information about Dr Khan’s dismissal will be given to the court, Kumar added.
Dr Khan had been attached to the office of Director General Medical Education (DGME) after his suspension on August 22, 2017 in the wake of the children's death during the month.
Talking to IANS on Thursday, Kafeel Khan said that he was waiting for the formal termination order to be served to him.
"I will continue to fight for justice and will challenge the order in court," he said.
Expressing surprise over the reports of his dismissal, Dr Khan, said he does not know how he has been terminated despite the court giving him a clean chit earlier.
“Principal Secretary Alok Kumar had on Wednesday released a statement about my termination from the BRD Medical college,” he said, adding he, however, has not received any termination letter as yet.
"They have no authority to terminate me. They should have taken orders from Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) (to suspend me),” he asserted in a statement on the reports of his termination.
"Among the eight people suspended in the lack of oxygen case in the hospital, the suspension of seven others except mine had been revoked. The court had punished all of them in one or the other manner but the honourable court had given me a clean chit on charges of medical negligence and corruption," Dr Khan claimed.
Reacting to the report of Dr Khan’s dismissal, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadhra termed his dismissal as malice-driven and aimed at harassing him.
(With inputs from PTI, IANS)
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