In the post-truth world where alternative facts are worshipped and logic is insulted, internet trolls thrive. Often, they are sponsored by corporations or political parties with an agenda in mind, eager to further this agenda by swaying public opinion by establishing a culture of rampant self-censorship, cyber-bullying and whataboutism on social media.
In such a miserable environment, fake news is not only created, it also thrives. And more often than not the widespread traction of such frivolous stories is manufactured, engineered by the same organisations who look to gain from the confusion that fake news causes.
The latest victim of the online lynch mobs and trolls was Dr Kafeel Ahmed Khan, Nodal Officer and in-charge of the encephalitis ward of the BRD Medical College, which was the site of the tragic deaths of over 70 children in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Dr Kafeel Khan’s mistake was that he was dutiful
On the night of August 10, it was Khan who decided to take control of the situation by driving to private homes to borrow oxygen cylinders, reported DNA. Khan even paid Rs 10,000 to an oxygen supplier out of his own pocket, reported CNN-News18.
Khan was removed from his position on Sunday, 13 August, on charges of “dereliction of duty” and for “carrying out private practice”.
Khan, a paediatrician, and a former principal of the medical college, Dr RK Mishra, were responsible for ensuring a steady supply of oxygen cylinders in the medical college, hospital sources said. (Mishra himself was suspended on Saturday after which he resigned.)
Khan became a hero on social media after he reportedly spent from his own pocket to arrange three oxygen cylinders at BRD Medical College on Thursday night when the supply of liquid oxygen stopped.
Confirming his removal from the post, Dr Khan told The Times of India, “It’s a smear campaign against me. I was only trying to help the children. I did everything from getting in touch with oxygen firms to ensuring prompt help to patients.”
Dr. Kafeel Khan removed as the Nodal Officer for the Department of Pediatrics of Baba Raghav Das Medical College, #Gorakhpur.
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 13, 2017
Khan’s removal took the country by surprise. For the past week, even as the death toll in Gorakhpur escalated, Khan was a ray of light amidst the despair. He was hailed as “the hero doctor” and a “one-man army” for his efforts in containing the situation and for using his own money to purchase oxygen cylinders for the children when the underfunded hospital failed to elicit a response from the government.
The list of charges lengthened on social media where within moments there were countless allegations against Khan from rape to conspiracy against the UP government. The smear campaign evolved along clearly communal lines as people online took to attacking Dr Khan for being a Muslim. Sure enough, shouts of being a “traitor” and “anti-national” soon followed, all the while being based on false claims and frivolous charges (explained below).
Barkha u talking about same guy?. #gorakhpur #GorakhpurChildrenTragedy pic.twitter.com/Zze1Q3gX2N
— Mehvish (@MehvishModi) August 13, 2017
Baseless allegations and outright lies meant to distract people from the real issue of how the government & hospital could allow the Gorakhpur tragedy to happen
There were allegations of rape against Dr Khan in 2015. The Gorakhpur Police, after investigating, threw away the charges in its final report on April 3, 2015 (see FIR copy here). The police concluded that the allegations were part of a conspiracy and an attempt to malign Khan’s image.
Khan has been accused of “illegally” running a private practice alongside his work at the government-run BRD Medical Hospital. This is meaningless: firstly, many government doctors have a private practice on the side and, more importantly, this is not illegal. In 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that doctors in government hospitals can have a private practice alongside the same freely. Besides, Khan’s cousin told The Quint that he left his private practice after getting a job in BRD Medical College.
Therefore, this is an accusation of illegality over something legal that never existed in the first place.
There were many other allegations – like Khan “stealing oxygen” from the hospital (How? By transporting it across the atmosphere from his office to his home?) and his dislike for the Yogi Adityanath government (Disgustingly, fake tweets were manufactured in his name to create the impression that he was anti-Adityanath and unverified tweets from an unverified account carrying his name that is now deleted has been hastily attributed to him; and when did it become a crime to not support a politician?).
सुदर्शन न्यूज की खबर का तत्काल असर..पद से हटाया गया गोरखपुर वीभत्स काण्ड का संदिग्ध डॉक्टर कफील https://t.co/RWd4icYmU4
— Suresh Chavhanke STV (@SureshChavhanke) August 13, 2017
Apart from being an rapist,…
