Lucknow, Aug 10: A response to an RTI query by the information department of the Uttar Pradesh government has revealed that Dr Kafeel Khan had arranged for oxygen cylinders on the night of August 11, 2017, when 29 children had passed away due to the lack of liquid oxygen.

In the RTI reply, the government has admitted to shortage of oxygen which led to the deaths of children in the encephalitis and neo-natal ward. A total of 61 children had died in the three-day period when oxygen supply was disrupted.

The copy of RTI reply, accessed by The National Herald, said Dr Kafeel Khan, the then nodal officer of the hospital, managed to get six oxygen cylinders from Anandalok Nursing Home.

In the FIR registered into the case on August 24, 2017, two key accused were named - then Principal of the BRD Medical College Dr Rajiv Mishra, along with Dr Kafeel.

Kafeel was arrested on September 2 and kept in custody till April 24 this year. His release came only after the intervention of the Allahabad High Court.

Sanjay Sharma, who filed the RTI query, said the state government was reluctant to share the information with him. The RTI was filed by him on August 14 last year. The response from the information commissioner, however, came almost a year later on July 4. A written copy was received by him on July 27.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 10, 2018 10:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).