Jailed Kafeel Khan offers help in fighting COVID-19

Lucknow, March 27 (IANS) Kafeel Khan, the suspended pediatrician from Gorakhpur who was arrested during anti-CAA protest, has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to order his release so that he can serve India by joining the fight against COVID-19.

Khan is currently lodged in Mathura jail after being booked under the National Security Act.

The jailed pediatrician in a two-page handwritten letter to the Prime Minister, has offered a road map on how to deal with the deadly corona stage-3, which will most probably hit by the end of April.

The letter which has been shared on Twitter, says, “We should increase the testing strength ( 1 in each district), isolation wards (1000 in each districts), opening of new ICUs, extensive training of the doctors/paramedics, support groups including AYUSH and private sectors, curb the rumors, avoid unscientific views and mobilize all resources as soon as possible.”

Khan was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force last month from Mumbai after he allegedly made inflammatory statements at the Aligarh Muslim University during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act on December 12, 2019. He was on February 14 charged under with National Security Act.

Khan hit the headlines when he was suspended in August 2017 following the death of about 30 children due to disruption in oxygen supply in the BRD Medical college in Gorakhpur. He was later cleared of all charges in a departmental inquiry.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown on Tuesday to contain the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.

–IANS

amita/sdr/