'Custodial Deaths Common In UP Jails': Dr. Kafeel Khan's Wife Writes To Allahabad HC CJ Seeking Protection For Her Husband [Read Letter]
Apprehending danger to her husband Dr. Kafeel Khan's life, Dr. Shabista Khan has written a letter to the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice Govind Mathur, requesting him to ensure his safety. Khan is presently lodged in the Mathura jail under the National Security Act. He was arrested from Mumbai in January this year, for allegedly giving a provocative speech at the...
Apprehending danger to her husband Dr. Kafeel Khan's life, Dr. Shabista Khan has written a letter to the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court, Justice Govind Mathur, requesting him to ensure his safety.
Khan is presently lodged in the Mathura jail under the National Security Act. He was arrested from Mumbai in January this year, for allegedly giving a provocative speech at the Aligarh Muslim University on December 13, 2019, amidst the anti-CAA protests.
In the letter dated February 25, Khan's wife alleged that he was slapped with charges under the NSA in only a days' inquiry. She further highlighted that custodial deaths are a 'normal' feature of the UP jails and that she apprehended that if adequate security is not ensured, her husband will suffer the same fate.
Accordingly, she has sought from the CJI that the Jail Superintendent of the Mathura Prison be directed to provide adequate security to Dr. Kafeel Khan.
The letter addressed to the CJI read,
"He [Dr. Kafeel Khan] was detained illegally, in violation of the order of the court and after only a day's inquiry, NSA charges were slapped against him. My husband is being harassed in the district; he is being subjected to inhuman behavior and his right to human dignity is being violated. Nowadays, custodial death have become common in the jails of Uttar Pradesh and I fear that my husband will also be killed inside the jail. And the jail administration will shake off its responsibility by blaming an innocent prisoner for the crime. All the above information has been told to me by my husband. In this situation, it will be prudent to keep him away from hard-core criminals apart and granting him protection in the jail.
Therefore, I request you to direct the Jail Superintendent, Mathura to ensure the security of my husband Dr. Kafeel Khan."
Notably, Khan had been granted bail by the court of CJM, Aligarh on February 10. However, he has been languishing in jail under the NSA.
While talking to ANI, Shabista had said that Khan was being ill-treated by the jail authorities and that his life might be in danger.
"We went to meet him in Mathura jail. He told me that when he was brought to the jail after being arrested, he was not given food for five days straight. The barrack he is staying in is very small and around 100-150 people have been lodged there. His life might be in danger there," she told ANI.
Read Letter