Gorakhpur hospital tragedy: Sacked doctor Kafeel Khan arrested by police

Dr. Kafeel Khan, who was blamed for the death of at least 30 children at a state-run hospital in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh in August, was arrested on Saturday, the police said, according to a report in The Hindustan Times.

The doctor was hiding in his in-laws' house in a rural part of Gorakhpur, Manoj Tiwari, special task force (STF)'s senior superintendent of police confirmed.

According to the STF, Khan, who was traced using electronic surveillance, was handed over to Gorakhpur police who are currently probing the case.

Khan is one of the seven individuals named in the case registered over the death of 30 children within two days at the BRD Medical College Hospital between August 10 and 11.

The doctor had been absconding since the police registered a case over the incident, which exposed the healthcare situation in the state and triggered nationwide outrage.

Former principal RK Mishra and five other were also suspended.

The Uttar Pradesh government, however, says that the deaths happened due to Japanese encephalitis and acute encephalitis syndrome, which are common in several states of the country during the monsoons.

Khan was in-charge of the hospital's encephalitis ward at the time of the deaths.

In the immediate aftermath of the deaths, Khan had been hailed as a 'hero' but was later portrayed as a 'villain' for his private practice and an alleged old case of rape against him.

Khan had said that he had saved many lives by arranging over 250 cylinders in 24 hours.