Gorakhpur tragedy: Dr Kafeel Khan slams Yogi Adityanath for telling ‘blatant lies’

Newsroom, Aug 27: Dr Kafeel Khan, who was made a scapegoat in the death of several children reportedly due to lack of oxygen at Gorakhpur Medical College, on Monday hit out at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of ''lying'' on the issue for “political gains”.

"It is a blatant lie. The state government has admitted in the court that the shortage of oxygen had led to the death of children. The government has also admitted that shortage of oxygen had been caused owing to delay in payment of bills to the company that supplied the gas," Kafeel, who was in-charge of the neo-natal ward, where the maximum number of deaths took place, said.

He also contested Adityanath's claim that there had been a decline in the death of children from encephalitis. ''The chief minister is lying for political gains'' Kafeel, who is out on bail, said.

Adityanath at a function here had said that the Gorakhpur incident had been blown out of proportion owing to the ''internal politics'' of the doctors.

He had also claimed that there was no shortage of oxygen in the hospital. Around 60 children, including many newborn, died within a period of four days at the medical college-hospital last year in Gorakhpur, Adityanath's hometown.