Kafeel Khan charged under National Security Act for anti-CAA speech at AMU

Minutes before his release on bail, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday charged Kafeel Khan, a Gorakhpur based doctor, under National Security Act (NSA) for allegedly delivering an ''inflammatory speech'' regarding the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) a few days back.

Khan, who had been arrested last month from Mumbai after making the speech and was lodged in Mathura district jail, was granted bail by the court on Monday.

According to the sources, Khan's family members have been informed that he has been charged under NSA when they reached the district jail on Friday morning

Sources said that the Aligarh district administration justified the action on Khan saying that the charges against him were ''very serious'' and that he needed to be prosecuted under the stringent law.

AMU students, who were in the audience, when Khan had addressed them, however, said that the doctor did not make any provocative statement.

Khan was also an accused in the case of death of over 60 children owing to lack of oxygen at Gorakhpur Medical College three years back. He was arrested in that matter also and spent nine months in jail before being enlarged on bail. Khan, who had been suspended after the tragedy, was given a clean chit by a state government appointed panel, which conducted a probe into the tragedy.

At least 20 people were killed during violent protests against the CAA in different parts of UP in December.