Fwd: Mobilizing Support for Dr Kafeel Khan

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Rajesh Mehta

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Jul 21, 2020, 3:13:31 AM7/21/20
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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: jashodhara Dasgupta <jasho_...@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 21, 2020 at 11:50 AM
Subject: Re: Mobilizing Support for Dr Kafeel Khan
To: Sylvia Karpagam <saki...@gmail.com>, Nalini Visvanathan <alam...@yahoo.com>
Cc: Adeel Khan <adeelg...@gmail.com>, Abhay Shukla <abhays...@gmail.com>, Amar Jesani <amar....@gmail.com>, Dhruv Mankad <dhrvm...@gmail.com>, Dr MIRA SHIVA <mira...@gmail.com>, Jagdish Patel <jagdi...@gmail.com>, Mohan Rao <mohanr...@gmail.com>, Rajesh Mehta <rajeshf...@gmail.com>, Ravi Duggal <rdug...@gmail.com>, S Srinivasan <chinusri...@gmail.com>, Suhas Kolhekar <kolheka...@gmail.com>, Vandana Prasad <chau...@yahoo.com>, Mohammed Rafee <rafee....@gmail.com>, Rajeev B. R. <rajeevb...@gmail.com>, Savithri Devi PP <savi...@mgims.ac.in>


Dear friends,

The next date for Dr Kafeel is tomorrow, but realistically very little hope of justice  given the situation. 

Meanwhile there has been some support for him, including protests in Patna and a students' Twitter storm. 

Keeping fingers crossed,
Jashodhara


On Friday, 10 July, 2020, 09:25:24 pm IST, jashodhara Dasgupta <jasho_...@yahoo.com> wrote:


Dear friends,
We really need to step up the campaign for Dr Kafeel Khan. 

The next hearing is on 15th July and I attach the Order on the Habeas Corpus petition. 

@Rajeev B. R.  did you and Savithri manage to write a brief about Kafeel?

@Sylvia Karpagam  can you help us quickly start a signature campaign? 

Any other ideas? We are running out of time.....
Jashodhara



On Tuesday, 2 June, 2020, 01:24:14 pm IST, Adeel Khan <adeelg...@gmail.com> wrote:

Sir
The next date for DrKafeel hearing is 8th june in the meantime the council has been asked to prepare a notice that can be issued to the govt.
I would like to bring to your notice since February 20 we are just being given dates no proper action is being taken.
Thanks.

On Fri, 29 May 2020 at 10:19 PM, Adeel Khan <adeelg...@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear ma’am 
We have filed a writ in high court Allahabad on 11th May and hearing will start after 30 may.

On Wed, 27 May 2020 at 10:52 AM, Sylvia Karpagam <saki...@gmail.com> wrote:
Adding Dr Adeel, Dr Kafeel’s brother 
Sylvia

On Wed 27 May 2020 at 10:40 a.m., Sylvia Karpagam <saki...@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi I can put u in touch with Lawyers in Bangalore if u aren’t already in touch with someone .
Sylvia 

On Wed 27 May 2020 at 10:33 a.m., Amar Jesani <amar....@gmail.com> wrote:
Ok. 
If possible rope in a human right lawyer from Bangalore to the group. We will need a lawyer regularly to help in the drafting of statements and also for legal protection. In the i list do not find any such person. Since you are in Bangalore, we must have a legal person there. From other places too we may rope in additional legal support.
Amar


On Wed, 27 May 2020, 09:49 Rajeev B R, <rajeevb...@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Amar,
I received a notification from Google after Nalini had posted an email about Mohammad Ali. They mentioned it as suspicious email. Therefore in interest of safety, I deleted the group. 
Savithri and I are working in the draft to send it to AI. Please accept our apologies for the delay. 

On Wed 27 May, 2020, 09:25 Amar Jesani, <amar....@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Rajeev,
Please provide more info - this does not help. Are you in touch with the AI-India? Its new director responded quickly, but we have no idea whether from our side we have responded to him.
amar
________________________________

On Wed, 27 May 2020 at 07:04, Rajeev B R <rajeevb...@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear all, 

Good morning. 
There are some security issues with the google group created. I had to delete the group. Let us continue to share our emails in this loop. 
Kindly oblige. 
 
Thanks and regards,
Rajeev B R



On Sat, 16 May 2020 at 11:59, jashodhara Dasgupta <jasho_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Dear Rajeev,
I am so glad you are volunteering to take up this cause, and would like to help too.
I agree to all the suggestions Amar has given. In addition,
  • The first step may be to develop some kind of basic write-up on the case, something like a PDF document that can be shared widely as part of the appeal for support
  • Perhaps some of the people copied on this email could like to be on some kind of Support Group for this Campaign to free Dr. Kafeel. I am certainly willing to volunteer for that. 
  • There is a group based out of Delhi and UP which had done a Public Tribunal on atrocities by the UP Govt. Some of them may be willing to join this effort
  • We could make Googlegroup to coordinate our efforts better
  • If Nalini can find enough people overseas, we could plan a Twitter Storm on a particular day, a few days from now. I can see there were many posts just after his arrest and again just after lockdown when he wrote to PM offering his medical services - with the hashtag #FreeKafeelKhan and #freekafeelkhan
I am providing below three important contact numbers - 
  1. Manoj Singh, experienced local journalist in Gorakhpur who has documented the case of JE and the children's deaths and knows the family well - +91-94152-82206
  2. Brother of Kafeel, Mr Adeel Khan - WA and phone # - +91-99849 00001
  3. Shabista, wife of Kafeel (she prefers that Adeel manage most of the communications) - 7080533999
  4. My own Phone and WA # +91-9910203477
Dr Kafeel is now imprisoned from 13 Feb until 13 August. He's been in jail for 110 days already. so we must work fast.
Looking forward to suggestions from others,
In solidarity
Jashodhara



On Saturday, 16 May, 2020, 10:27:55 am IST, Amar Jesani <amar....@gmail.com> wrote:


Dear Rajeev,

So good to know that you are volunteering to do this.

I suggest that all avenues may be explored in this campaign. Once it was true that bringing political parties would muddle the issues making it difficult to get release of a person. Situation has changed considerably at the ground level, particularly for the Muslim activists who are imprisoned. The opposition is worried that taking side with Muslim imprisoned activists would work against them as the BJP would consolidate Hindu votes. We need to break this mindset. So, in their cases i would go along with Mohan Rao's suggestion - make as many political parties to speak out and do something. If Mohan and others know people in political parties, let them make contact and solicit support for Kafeel Khan.

At the same time, we should also pursue what Nalini has suggested -  to get support of the human rights and health organisations at the national and international levels. Among the human rights organisations in India, Rihai Manch in the UP, PUCL (Suresh in Chennai), PUDR (Delhi), Masum (Kolkata), etc can be contacted. If you do not have contacts with them, some of us can get them for you. About health organisations in India - while it will be easy to get support statements from the JSA and MFC types, it is necessary to pressurise the IMA and paediatric association - a somewhat difficult task, but it needs to be done. Sending letter to the editor to various medical journals in India for publication would also be a good way to create support in the profession. I think there are also small medical associations of the Catholics, Muslims and Dalits - their support should also be solicited.

Internationally, we can approach Physicians for Human Rights - PHR - Nalini mentioned it. A few weeks back they published this report on India: https://phr.org/our-work/resources/indias-health-workers-deserve-support-not-stigmatization/
The author of this report, Phelim Kine can be contacted. We can also get other contacts in the PHR - many of my contacts of 1990s are no longer there now, but I can still muster a few from old friends. The medical division of the international secretariat of the Amnesty International could be contacted thru their India office in Bangalore. The British Medical Association has ethics division, which does take position on human rights issues - you may find a few article written by the head of ethics division in the IJME - his name is Julian Sheather (he is also one of the editorial board member of the IJME). i can put you in touch with him.

So Rajeev, if you want to devote time to build this campaign, there is a lot that can be done. Please go ahead, do not restrain yourself. The wider the support you create, the more possibility of positive outcome.

amar

________________________________
Amar Jesani
Independent Researcher and Teacher (Bioethics, Public Health). Tel: +91-9833073773
Indian Journal of Medical Ethics (https://ijme.in); Visiting Faculty: *Yenepoya Univ, Mangalore; *CBEC/SIUT, Karachi; *KEMRI, Nairobi.
ORCID Id: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8884-9858 WoS Id: AAD-2202-2020


On Sat, 16 May 2020 at 09:38, Rajeev B R <rajeevb...@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear all, 

I would like to volunteer on this activity. I am at the moment clueless on how to go ahead. I would like to be guided and I can coordinate the activities. 

Thanks and regards,
Rajeev B R



On Fri, 15 May 2020 at 20:49, Nalini Visvanathan <alam...@yahoo.com> wrote:
May I respond, respectfully, to Mohan's suggestion. I do not live there, but I do read the news and fear that contacting political parties will make the BJP administration (centre and state) dismiss the case as politically motivated. Please free to shoot me down, but I believe that we should first start with the human rights groups. You should send your signature petitions to Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who has already expressed her concerns about the abuses of human rights and civil liberties in Kashmir. She is well acquainted with what is happening, and she does not represent a political interest.

I thought PHR would be a good group to contact, since I had done so for Dr. Sen. At that time Jim Kim was a principal, and I did know him. But he was also on the board of Global Health Council and they gave Dr. Sen an award. I'm waiting for colleges to close to contact Dr. Honorine Pillai, who was part of the campaign as a CMC alumna and has stayed in touch. The CMC alumni network here is vast and a better prospect than the mainstream association of American Physicians of Indian Origin that is infiltrated by BJP supporters and donors.

Finally, I recently read in the ET I think that the BJP administrations of Gujarat, UP and MP are hastily changing their regressive labor laws to attract US companies leaving China after the coronavirus crisis. I would like to think of using these arbitrary arrests and detentions and human rights violations to point out that the UP climate is not conducive to the entry of companies that care about human rights. Perhaps a friendly journalist could write about that aspect in a business paper or a mainstream one. Obviously not The Wire.

The group that I belonged to that worked hard to bar Modi from entering the US in 2002-2003 has long disbanded. It is not easy to locate members now. One of them, Shalini Gera, is now Sudha Bhardwaj's counsel. In fact those prisoners also need advocacy and a petition to Bachelet. I know the list is long, so I will stop here.

 In solidarity,

Nalini



On Friday, May 15, 2020, 01:28:47 AM EDT, Mohan Rao <mohanr...@gmail.com> wrote:


In addition to the signature campaign, can we request Indranil, Saro, yourself and a few others to also approach political parties?

Mohan

On Fri, May 15, 2020 at 10:44 AM jashodhara Dasgupta <jasho_...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Dear friends,
I hope you are well. 
I had sent the email below to the JSA Discuss group a week ago, but there has been no general response/decision whether JSA will initiate a signature campaign or not.
Meanwhile, we know that Kafeel is now in continued incarceration for another three months under NSA. 

Therefore I am addressing this to the smaller group of people who did respond to the initial emails from Shabista. Does anyone have suggestions how to take this forward? 
Nalini Viswanathan is trying to get doctors in the USA to support and campaign for Dr Kafeel's release, with not much success so far.  She is also asking if anyone would volunteer to coordinate a campaign, and be the point person in case there is interest. So do we have any volunteers for that?
Looking forward to your suggestions,
In solidarity
Jashodhara

PS- Dr Nadkarni has offered Rs 10,000 for legal costs, and Vrinda Grover has also offered to help if needed (initially Indira Jaising was handling the case).
  

----- Forwarded message -----

From: 'jashodhara Dasgupta' via mfccircle <mfcc...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Friday, 8 May, 2020, 08:51:31 pm IST

Dear friends,
I spoke to Dr Kafeel's wife and brother today. 
I shared the signature campaign that Sylvia had sent around. They feel much more is needed, maybe lots of different signature campaigns in sequence.
They specifically requested that doctors groups and other health activist groups should continue to keep up sustained pressure upon the state government for his release, so maybe if JSA Convenors agree, JSA can do another campaign in a few days.
Their case was initially handled by Indira Jaising, and others have offered help too.
The family are in very difficult economic circumstances, and unable to convert their assets into cash because of the stigma of this case. I have obtained the bank account number where anyone can give donations see below.
Please share your suggestions, I have deliberately removed Shabista from this email.
In solidarity
Jashodhara

DR. KAFEEL KHAN MISSION SMILE FOUNDATION
A/C 03171-10000 - 2492
IFSC - PSIB0000317
Punjab and Sindh Bank 

On Thursday, 7 May, 2020, 11:56:57 am IST, drkafeelkhan Khan <realdrka...@gmail.com> wrote:


Dear Mam,
Thank you so much for supporting my cause ,also i would like to thank each member of the group and all the people who had signed the petition.
It would be further help for me if you can get more & more  people to sign  the petition,this seems to be one of the prominent ways to  protest amidst lockdown restrictions .
We are also facing many issues on legal front as High court had still not heard the  transfer plea of illegal detention that was filed by our lawyers at Supreme court -Its been 45 days since court order but officials at High court are claiming that they have lost the file & documents ,after many followup also there is no result. ( Attached is the copy of Supremecourt order)
This is 3rd degree victimisation of my husband who is  fighting to improve health system of our country .  

 Regards 
Shabista Khan
(w/o-Dr Kafeel Khan)
 MB:7080533999

On Tuesday, 5 May, 2020, 05:39:49 pm IST, drkafeelkhan Khan <realdrka...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear All,'
I am wife of Dr Kafeel Khan - i want to bring to your notice the grave injustice done to my husband for the past  two years -Currently he is lodged in Mathura jail as illegal N.S.A  is slapped on him .
Dr Kafeel became a renowned Health Care worker by conducting more  100 free medical camps at the remotest places in India ,His campaigns at the time of  chamki fever at Bihar (2019) ,Kerala floods(  2018),Bihar floods 2019,Nipah Virus Outbreak (2018) in Kerala are few noticeable ones .
He had served in his purest capacity as a loyal & committed Doctor of the country but still he is being continuously  targeted as a scapegoat for highlighting administrative & infrastructure failure of Indian  health system .
 BRD Oxygen tragedy was the starting point of his victimisation as he just acted as a whistle-blower for non stoppage of Oxygen supply on that dreaded night on which 70 innocent kids have lost there life ,he was later forced to jail to save few  high level health officials ,later respected High Court granted him bail and mentioned that there is no evidence of medical negligence on his part ,he was given clean chit in the departmental enquiry as well but still our targeted  victimisation continued .
My husband took part in few CAA-NRC protest but he was again singled out by U.P. government  to slap N.S.A on him when the C.J.M. Aligarh granted him bail.
He had been continuously pleading the government  to let him work & use his experience at such critical times of Covid -19 crisis but still his N.S.A is not revoked after three months of incarceration.
I know its a forum to share professional information but i sincerely expect our Doctors team to stand with him .

Regards 
Shabista Khan
(W/O Dr Kafeel Khan)

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