Kafeel Khan, a paediatrician who was among the accused in the 2017 BRD hospital case, has been booked for allegedly using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty after he "forcibly entered" an ambulance to examine a woman patient despite "objections raised by the driver".
Khan, who is contesting the MLC election from the Deoria-Kushinagar seat on a Samajwadi Party (SP) ticket, has, however, alleged that the case is politically motivated.
The incident took place on 26 March, but a case was registered later on a complaint lodged by ambulance driver Prakash Patel, working with the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Bhaluhani.
What Are the Charges?
Deoria Circle Officer, Shriyash Tripathi, said that the case against Khan has been registered under IPC sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty).
According to the police, in his complaint, the ambulance driver stated that on 26 March, a woman patient was brought to the PHC for treatment, and after examining her, doctors referred her to the Deoria district hospital.
She was sent to the district hospital in a PHC ambulance.
The complainant alleged that since the ambulance did not have the required amount of oxygen, they were carrying Ambu bags (artificial manual breathing unit) with them. But, upon reaching the emergency ward of the hospital, the woman died.
Patel alleged that after some time, Khan forcibly entered the ambulance and started checking the woman patient, creating a hindrance in government work.
On 28 March, Khan tweeted a video, in which he can be seen treating a patient inside an ambulance and then in the hospital.
"I had taken a woman who had sustained injuries in a road accident to the hospital. When I was coming out of the hospital, a youth requested me to examine his mother lying inside the ambulance," he said.
"I believe a case against me was registered because I had tweeted about the shortcomings that I had found in the hospital and the ambulance. The case against me is politically motivated. I am contesting an election and people are supporting me. To divert my attention, they filed a case against me. I see the case as the continuation of my harassment," he stated.
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